Antonio Conte is ready for what he believes will be an "emotional" return to the Champions League when Napoli take on Manchester City.

Conte has not coached in the Champions League since the 2022-23 season, when he was at Tottenham.

Napoli failed to qualify for last season's competition, though Conte took advantage by guiding them to their second Serie A title in the space of two years.

Now, Napoli will become the fifth different team Conte has coached in the Champions League, with Carlo Ancelotti (eight) and Claudio Ranieri (six) the only Italians to take charge of more clubs in the competition.

"It is always emotional, as this is the most important European competition and it allows us to get back into fantastic stadiums like this," Conte said, as quoted by Football Italia.

"I was already here for Chelsea and Tottenham, but this is my first time against Manchester City in Europe."

Napoli have never won away to an English side in any European competition (P12 W0 D3 L9), losing at least once against six of the seven different teams they have faced (Arsenal, Burnley, Chelsea, Leeds United, Liverpool and Manchester City), with Leicester City being the only exception (2-2 in Europa League in 2021-22).

"I didn’t know that," replied Conte when Napoli's record against English teams was put to him.

"It will certainly be a difficult match, as Manchester City won practically everything it was possible to win over the last few years. We are talking about a top club with a top coach.

"We come here with great humility, but also the desire to understand not where we are right now, because it is only the start of a project we started last year, but if we are growing on schedule.

"It is inevitable that last season we didn’t have the opportunity to measure ourselves up in Europe.

"We start with a big mountain to climb in the form of Man City, but we are eager to measure ourselves up and also learn from the masters of this tournament."

Thursday's encounter at the Etihad Stadium comes with several intriguing subplots, including Kevin De Bruyne's return to City following his departure from the club at the end of last season.

De Bruyne recorded 25 assists for City in the Champions League, 10 more than any other player for the club in the competition.

City's Erling Haaland, meanwhile, is one goal away from reaching 50 in the Champions League, and looks all but assured to set a new record for fewest appearances to 50 goals in the competition.

Haaland has made 48 Champions League appearances, with Ruud van Nistelrooy the current record holder (62 games).

It will also mark the eighth meeting between Conte and Pep Guardiola.

Of those with at least two wins over Guardiola, Conte is one of only three coaches to have won more often than he has lost, along with Jurgen Klopp (11 wins, 10 defeats) and Luis Enrique (three wins, two defeats).