Former Palermo teammates Paulo Dybala and Franco Vazquez are set to meet on Wednesday when Juventus host Sevilla in the Champions League, and the pair have been using the opportunity to wind each other up ahead of the clash.
Dybala and Vazquez spearheaded Palermo's promotion from Serie B into Serie A in 2014, before contributing 23 goals between them to the Rosaneri's top-flight campaign the following season.
Dybala joined Juventus at the end of that campaign while Vazquez left Sicily one year later for Sevilla, with both players set to be reunited at the Juventus Stadium on Wednesday night.
"Of course we've been winding each other up and sharing some banter since the draw was made," Vazquez told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We will be doing the same tonight, on the eve of the game. It's a pleasure to see a friend again, even if it will be as an opponent."
Juve are favourites to win Group H, which also features Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb, and Vazquez feels they have a chance of going all the way in the Champions League this season.
"It's early to say whether they are genuine favourites, but certainly they've been working on the transfer market with that objective and they will want to start strongly to send a signal to their rivals," Vazquez said. "I can see them there challenging with Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG [Paris Saint-Germain]."
Juve's chances in the Champions League this season have been boosted, Vazquez believes, by the arrival of €90 million signing Gonzalo Higuain.
"It's a fair price -- he's the best No. 9 in the world," he said. "I'm crazy about him. Whoever scores so many goals is expensive.
"Maybe he left Napoli to join a club who can really aim to win the Champions League, and let's say the same goes for Juve: both of them need to take that final step in Europe."
