Dries Mertens jokes he will slap Gonzalo Higuain on Napoli reunion

Gonzalo Higuain is set to face the wrath of his former team-mates and manager when Juventus host Napoli on Saturday.

The striker will come up against his previous side for the first time since his acrimonious summer departure.

After leading Napoli to a second-place finish in Serie A, he left to join champions Juventus, who triggered his 90m euro release clause.

Napoli head coach Maurizio Sarri gave a light-hearted answer when asked about the reunion.

"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," he said after Wednesday's 2-0 win over Empoli.

Napoli's Dries Mertens also joked that he intends to give Higuain a 'slap round the face'.

"There is no such thing as friends on the field. It's an extremely important game," he told Mediaset.

"I'll give him a slap round the face."

Higuain's departure was not well received among Napoli fans, who felt betrayed by a player who declared his love for the club in May.

When news of his move first emerged, supporters gathered in the city centre to tear up pictures of the Argentine and set fire to replicas of his shirt. A banner bearing his photograph was tied to a dustcart.

Even at recent games, it was possible to buy toilet rolls with Higuain's picture on the packaging.

Juventus go into Saturday's match as Serie A leaders and are four points ahead of third-placed Napoli.