Mourinho and Conte put rivalry behind them to try and topple their league rivals

Tottenham continue their preparations for the new season when they take on Roma at Maccabi Haifa's Sammy Ofer Stadium in Israel.

And while there are plenty of new faces to watch on the pitch, a number of eyes will be fixed to the touchline where the fiery bosses will be barking instructions.

In October 2016, Conte and Mourinho were at loggerheads, when the former took over from the latter at Chelsea.

Conte is famously known for dubbing their collapse to 10th place in 2015/16 as 'the Mourinho season'.

But it did not stop there. Conte then went on to describe Mourinho as 'a little man', which brought a response from Mourinho who alluded to his rival's hair transplant.

But that's all in the past, says Conte ahead of the 'friendly'.

"We have a mutual respect and our histories in football speak for us. Now everything is good and tomorrow for sure there will be a hug between us."

He also sees a lot of similarities between the club and both men have similar goals.

"Both clubs want to build, to go step by step to fight against a team that in the past dominated," he said referencing Juventus for Mourinho and Man City and Liverpool for his Tottenham players.

"It's a good comparison because we have the same target."

There is an extra dynamic to the rivalry, though, with Mourinho facing his former employers, having been succeeded by Conte [indirectly] for a third time.

Mourinho remains bitter after being sacked six days before the Carabao Cup final when in charge of Spurs in 2021.

Interestingly, Tottenham is the only club pre-Porto where he has failed to deliver silverware, following Roma's Europa Conference League triumph.

It looks to be another exciting clash between the pair, with both eyeing victory as they prepare for their respective domestic campaigns.