Massimiliano Allegri insisted there is "no problem" between him and Cesc Fabregas as Napoli and Como prepare to face off in Serie A on Sunday.
Napoli opened their Serie A campaign with a 2-0 win over Genoa last weekend, while Fabregas' Como side were held to a 1-1 draw by Udinese.
Tempers boiled over on the touchline last season when Allegri's Milan took on Como, with Fabregas having criticised the Rossoneri's style of play ahead of that meeting.
Allegri and Fabregas then had to be separated on the touchline, though the pair shook hands at the end of the match.
With the coaches now set to face off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Allegri's full focus is on his players, rather than his rival in the opposite dugout.
"Tension leads to arguments, but that’s it. No problem. Allegri doesn’t play Fabregas tomorrow, Napoli play Como," Allegri said.
"He is someone who truly promises very well; he has already achieved excellent results. Like him, there are many other young coaches who can do well, foreign but also Italian.
"We face a Como side that have done extraordinary things. They are the new reality of Italian football for what they’ve done and the qualification [to the Champions League] they obtained.
"They are well-organised and have good technique. We’ll need a good game to get a result.
"In this phase, fitness levels are not ideal; temperatures are still high, and it will be important to maintain good technique and be smart.
"It’s the first game at home. It will be exciting at our stadium and with our fans."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Napoli – Kevin De Bruyne
Napoli midfielder De Bruyne scored and assisted as a substitute on the opening day of this Serie A season.
He has only been involved in three goals in his first two seasonal appearances twice before in Europe's top five leagues: in 2019-20 and 2022-23, both with Manchester City.
Como – Nico Paz
Paz (18 goals, 14 assists) could become the second player to score 15 or more goals and provide 15 or more assists in Serie A before turning 22 since the 2004-05 season, after Domenico Berardi (38 goals, 22 assists).
MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW
Como are unbeaten in their last three Serie A matches against Napoli (W1 D2), after losing all four of the previous encounters.
Overall, Como have won just two of their 26 top-flight meetings against Napoli (D6 L18).
Both of the Serie A meetings between Napoli and Como last season ended goalless, making them the only team neither found the net against last Serie A campaign.
Napoli have their highest home win percentage in Serie A against Como (minimum 10 previous matches), with 12 wins in 13 encounters (92.3%), the only exception being a goalless draw in November last year.
Como, meanwhile, are unbeaten in 11 of their last 12 Serie A away matches (W8 D3 L1), with their only defeat in this run coming against Sassuolo (1-2) on April 17.
Following their 1-1 draw against Udinese on MD1, Como could draw consecutive away league games for the first time since November last year, when they drew three in a row, with the last of those coming against Napoli.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Napoli – 39.4%
Draw – 28.7%
Como – 31.9%