Napoli At Risk Of Early European Exit As Antonio Conte Boasts Abysmal Champions League Record

Napoli are at risk of facing a group stage exit from the Champions League after picking-up four points from as many matches and history suggests that Antonio Conte is unlikely to turn his sides’ form around.

Napoli Face European Disaster

The Partenopei have failed to meet expectations in the 2025/26 Champions League so far, securing just one victory and dropping down to 24th in the table.

Only 24 out of the 36 teams will progress into the knockout stages, as the top eight qualify for the Ro16 automatically and the remaining sides enter a play-off round.

This means that Napoli are currently occupying the final spot to just book a chance at qualifying for the Ro16 and Conte’s side are only one-point clear of elimination.

So far, the Serie A champions  have suffered defeats to Manchester City and PSV, with the latter marking a moment in history – as it was the first time Napoli had ever conceded six goals in a European competition.

The Partenopei were beaten 6-2 by the Dutch side on October 21st, which was the first time Conte had seen one of his sides concede six goals in a match.

Napoli’s singular victory in the Champions League came on MD2, as Rasmus Hojlund bagged a brace to secure a 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon at home.

Most recently, the Scudetto holders were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Frankfurt and this underwhelming performance was followed by a 2-0 defeat by Bologna on MD11 in Serie A.

This run of results increased the pressure on Conte hugely and speculation over a possible exit has continued to circulate, being boosted by reports that Napoli are among the list of sides interested in appointing Xavi.

If Conte wants to keep a firm grip on his role in Naples then qualifying for the next round of the Champions League will be crucial – but the Italian’s record in Europe’s elite competition is far from convincing.

Antonio Conte Champions League Record

Juventus

2012/13: Eliminated in Quarter Finals

2013/14: Eliminated in Group Stage

Conte’s first managerial run in the Champions League came during the 2012/13 season with Juventus and is still his best performance in the competition.

However, Conte was not actually on the sidelines for Juventus’ entire group stage run, as the Italian was serving a touchline ban for a match-fixing scandal during his tenure with Siena.

The 56-year-old still took charge of training sessions, but Massimo Carrera took over the matchday responsibilities and the Bianconeri went on to finish top of Group E over Shakhtar Donetsk, Chelsea and FC Nordsjaelland.

Conte made his long-awaited return to the sidelines for Juve’s Ro16 clash against Celtic, securing a 5-0 aggregate victory over the Scottish side and booking a place against Bayern Munich.

The Serie A giants were no match for Bayern, losing 4-0 on aggregate and the German side went on to lift the trophy at Wembley Stadium a few months later.

Unfortunately for Conte, reaching the Champions League in his first season was not a sign of things to come, as the Bianconeri were eliminated in the group stages during the 2013/14 season.

Juventus finished third in Group B behind Real Madrid and Galatasaray, as the Serie A side picked up six-points overall (1W, 3D & 2L) and this was Conte’s final season in Turin – parting ways with the club in July 2014.

Chelsea

2017/18: Eliminated in Ro16

After spending two-years with the Italian national team between 2014 and 2016, Conte returned to the Champions League in the 2017/18 campaign with Chelsea.

Moving to Stamford Bridge was a huge decision by the 56-year-old, as it was the first time that Conte had managed a side outside of Italy and he found huge success in England – winning the league titles during his debut season.

However, his performances in Europe failed to live up to these lofty standards, as the Blues finished second in a group consisting of AS Roma, Atletico Madrid and Qarabag – picking up three wins, two draws and one defeat.

This led to Conte’s side facing Barcelona in the Ro16, holding the Spanish side to a 1-1 stalemate in the home leg before suffering a 3-0 thrashing at Camp Nou.

Inter Milan

2019/20: Eliminated in Group Stage

2020/21: Eliminated in Group Stage

Conte’s performance in the Champions League with Inter Milan is widely considered one of the lowest-points in the Italian’s career, as he failed to progress past the group stages on each occasion.

In 2019/20, Inter finished third in Group F behind Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, after winning just two of their six matches – meaning the Nerazzurri dropped down into the Europa League.

Europe’s secondary competition provided a moment of relief for Conte and his side, as Inter picked-up wins over Ludogorets, Getafe, Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk to book a place in the final.

The Serie A side were beaten 3-2 by Sevilla as Romelu Lukaku went from hero to zero, after cancelling out his opening strike with a 74th minute own-goal to hand Sevilla the trophy.

In the following season, Conte suffered his worst campaign to date as Inter Milan finished bottom of Group B behind Real Madrid, Borussia Monchengladbach and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Conte’s side scored seven goals in six matches and were victorious on one occasion, ending their Champions League campaign with six-points and a -2 goals difference.

Currently, Napoli have four-points from four Champions League matches and a -5 goals difference, meaning Conte is on track to record his worst Champions League finish in history.

Luciano Spalletti, who recently made headlines for offering advice to Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso, guided Napoli to the quarter-finals in 2022/23 and this is still the furthest the Partenopei have reached in the UEFA Champions League.

Tottenham Hotspur

2022/23: Eliminated in Ro16

Antonio Conte may want supporters to forget about his time with Tottenham Hotspur, as Spurs are the only side on this list that did not see a league title under the Italian.

However, the 2022/23 season did bring an end to Conte’s group stage woes in Europe, as the Italian guided his side to a first place finish in Group D – sitting above Frankfurt, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille.

This set-up a tie against one of Conte’s former rivals in the Ro16, as Spurs faced AC Milan across two-legs and the Lilywhites failed to score a single goal in either match.

A 1-0 victory at home in the opening leg was enough for the Rossoneri to secure a place in the quarter finals and Conte was sacked just 10-days after his side were eliminated from the Champions League.