No love lost for Conte ahead of ´emotional´ Juventus reunion

Antonio Conte is relishing Napoli’s upcoming clash that will see him return to Juventus, a club he both played for and managed.

Conte has started his career in Naples in fine form, leading Napoli to three wins from their first four league games and to second in the Serie A standings.

But this weekend sees him return to the club he made 419 appearances for as a player, winning 12 titles, which included the Champions League in 1995-96.

Having started his managerial journey at Arezzo in 2006, the Italian returned to Juventus in 2011, replacing Luigi Delneri as their new head coach.

Conte led Juventus to three consecutive Scudetto titles, winning 90 of his 133 games in charge (D30 L13) before becoming the Italy national team head coach.

The last time the 55-year-old travelled to Turin as the opposing team’s manager was in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with his Inter side losing 3-2 having already won the title.

“My past is clear, 13 years at Juve as a player, I was captain for several years, winning practically everything,” Conte said.

“I had the opportunity to coach for three years, starting a series of nine Scudetti.

“I am part of Juve’s history because of what I’ve done and given them. It’s easier to stay at one club your entire career.

“But as a coach it’s impossible to decide your own career. I coached Juve for three years, my career took me to different places.

“Today I have the true pleasure of coaching a team like Napoli. For me, being someone from the south, it is a proud and satisfying feeling.

“There will be lots of emotions returning to that stadium, because last time I returned during COVID.”

Il primo big match del nostro campionato si gioca a Torino!

Scopri le statistiche di #JuveNapoli presentate da https://t.co/wAEGoQ1OHl

#ProudToBeNapoli | #BetssonSport pic.twitter.com/jZixXLRD9w

— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) September 20, 2024

Conte comes up against a man he knows well in Juventus head coach Thiago Motta, having managed him during his time with the Italian national team.

Motta has collected eight points from his four games in charge of his new club after leading Bologna to Champions League qualification last term.

The 42-year-old marked his first game as a head coach in the Champions League with a comfortable 3-1 win over PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday.

Conte wished Motta well for the season, but not at the expense of his Napoli side.

“Thiago Motta takes on a heavy legacy… It’s not a trivial thing to coach there, there is a demand for victory, like at Milan or Inter,” Conte said.

“He was a player of mine with the national team at the European Championships. He makes me smile, but it also saddens me a bit because I’m getting old.

“He did very well in Bologna and so I wish him the best from a human point of view, but not in the games against us.”