Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri wants to see fear on the faces of Manchester City players at the sold-out San Paolo stadium tomorrow night.
The Italian club beat City in their last Champions League match at home in November 2011 – and cost Andre Villas Boas his Chelsea job in the knockout stages later that season.
Now Napoli are top of Serie A after a storming start to their domestic which has seen them win nine of their first 10 matches. And 60,000 home fans will be seeking a home win tomorrow.
Speaking on Halowe'en at Napoli's training centre at Castel Volturno, Sarri said: “It is an experience playing here. I hope San Paolo gives us the petrol to drive us on.
"They are used to playing certain games at a certain level but I would like to see frightened faces from them.
“I don't consider City unbeatable because there is no such thing in football. No-one is unbeatable in football. I only know that at the moment they are the best team in Europe coached by the best coach in the world.”
Striker Jose Callejon added: “We have respect for everyone but fear of no-one. We know that we are strong.”
City won the first leg 2-1 a fortnight ago when Brazilian keeper Ederson saved a Dries Merten penalty. Asked who was the home side's most dangerous player at the Etihad Stadium, Sarri could have said Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva or Gabriel Jesus.
But the Napoli coach said: “In the first leg, the player who gave us most problems was, paradoxically, Ederson who saved a penalty and who was found about 50 times by his defenders.
"It took away so much pressure from them. Otherwise, you can chose any of their front five.”
In the most chaotic city in Europe, Sarri has developed a sophisticated brand of attacking football which has drawn comparisons with Guardiola and Italian coaching legend Arrigo Sacchi despite their very different backgrounds.
The Italian, now 58, used to work in a bank and only made his debut as a coach in Serie A aged 53 and in the Champions League last year. When Pep won the Champions League in 2009, Sarri was coaching Perugia in Lega Pro.
And the Napoli boss said: “Guardiola is the best in the world and I have won nothing so I can't be compared with anyone. I like his philosophy of football, the way his teams immediately try to win back the ball when they have lost it and I like the way the team moves together.
We are talking about one of the coaches who when they stop, he will have changed the way of seeing football. If I stop now, no-one will remember me. To compare me with Arrigo Sacchi is offensive to him because he changed football and he won trophies. Van Basten and Gullit became great players because of Sacchi.”
But Callejon reckoned tomorrow's came could see a classic between the two form teams in Europe.
“Maybe we are the two best at the moment,” he said. “We are playing well, like them with Guardiola who always makes his team play well. The arrival of our coach has given us a lot.
Thanks to him and his staff we play in this way and we have to continue with this philosophy.”