Sarri will greet Higuain 'like a son who made him angry'

Napoli head coach Maurizio Sarri has joked that he will greet Gonzalo Higuain like "a son who made him angry" when they meet again this weekend.

The Argentina forward joined Juventus in July, having spent three seasons in Naples and scored 71 Serie A goals.

Higuain enjoyed a great relationship with the Napoli fans, but that turned sour when he sought a move to Juve, with whom he will host his former club in Turin.

However, Sarri was in a light-hearted mood when asked how he would react to Higuain after Napoli beat Empoli 2-0 on Wednesday.

"Higuain did well with me and was always hard working in training," he told Sky Italia.

"How will I greet him on Saturday? In the same way that a father would with a son who made him angry."

Higuain's former Napoli team-mate Dries Mertens was slightly less forgiving, though, emphasising the importance of a win against the 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 a slap round the face."