"?Dries Mertens has jokingly said he will give Gonzalo Higuain "a slap" when Napoli clash with Higuain's new employers Juventus on Saturday.
Napoli travel to Turin to face off against one of their title rivals, and Higuain is set to face his former teammate for the first time since Higuain completed a £75m to Juventus in the summer transfer window.
The pair were close friends during the striker's time in Naples, but the Belgium international told "?Mediaset Television that he would be putting his friendship with Higuain to one side come kick off, before insisting he would only give the forward one thing ahead of the clash.
Mertens quipped: "I'll give him a slap round the face. There is no such thing as friends on the field. It's an extremely important game."
Higuain registered 91 goals in just 146 appearances for Napoli across three seasons with the Italian outfit, but was accused of being a traitor by Napoli fans when he opted to depart the Stadio San Paolo for the reigning Serie A champions in July.
Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina said that Napoli were "over" the Argentina international earlier in October, while Napoli supporters are sure to give Higuain stick for his departure from Naples when the third-placed side travel to this season's current table toppers.
Dries Mertens: I'll give old friend Gonzalo Higuain slap round the face: Dries Mertens has a light-hearted wa... https://t.co/AnXeTPW2Lt
However, Napoli head coach Maurizio Sarri said he would greet the 28-year-old like an annoying son when the two clubs meet.
In quotes published by "?Football Italia, Sarri said: "Higuain did well with me and was always hard working in training. I'll salute him the way a father does with a son who made him cross."
Mertens, meanwhile, is expected to lead the line for Napoli against Juventus after main striker Arkadiusz Milik suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in October's 1-0 defeat to Atalanta.
The Polan international is expected to be sidelined until February 2017, while fellow forward Manolo Gabbiadini is suspended after being sent off Crotone on October 23.
Speaking to "?Calciomercato, Sarri added that his team would have to learn to adapt to Mertens playing up front if they harboured ambitions of winning the Scudetto.
He said: "He (Mertens) is not a real centre forward. He needs to play with his characteristics. We don't have any real centre forwards right now, so we have to adapt."
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