Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri sends message to Gonzalo Higuain ahead of Saturday's game

Posted Friday, October 28, 2016 by givemesport.com

Ahead of Saturday's huge Serie A clash against league leaders Juventus, Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri has humorously revealed how he will react when he sees Gonzalo Higuain.

This weekend's game will be the first time that the Argentinian centre-forward will come up against his former club since his record-breaking £75.3 million transfer to Juve in the summer.

Sarri, born in Naples, took charge of Napoli in June 2015 and Higuain was absolutely sensational under him last season - scoring 36 goals in just 35 league games to equal Gino Rossetti's record set way back in 1928-29.

The 28-year-old's brilliant three-year relationship with the Napoli fans turned sour when he left to join the Italian champions, however Sarri responded to questions seeking his potential reaction to Higuain in a light-hearted manner.

The 57-year-old manager told Sky Italia, via Goal: "Higuain did well with me and was always hard working in training. How will I greet him on Saturday? In the same way that a father would with a son who made him angry."

JUVENTUS V NAPOLI

As mentioned, Juventus currently top Serie A after 10 matches on 24 points, but Massimiliano Allegri's men are being closely followed by both Roma on 22 points and Napoli themselves on 20.

It's probably a good thing for Higuain that Saturday's match will take place at the Juventus Stadium, when you consider the hostile reception he is sure to receive when he returns to the Stadio San Paolo.

Higuain scored an incredible 91 goals in 146 games for Napoli, but Dries Mertens was in a far less forgiving mood than his manager when speaking about the upcoming encounter.

The 29-year-old winger, along with the likes of captain Marek Hamsik, Jose Callejon and Lorenzo Insigne, was a regular supply line for Higuain, but he believes that it's more important for his side to focus on beating the reigning champions.

"There is no such thing as friends on the field," he told Mediaset Premium. "It's an extremely important game. I'll give him (Higuain) a slap round the face."