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Collision course: Higuain meets Dybala as protagonists in Scudetto race

Reuters

The temptation is there to pit Paulo Dybala against Gonzalo Higuain, Serie A's No. 1 and 2 scorers, the protagonists of the Scudetto challengers this season. They're both Argentinian and they're both strikers, but they're also friends, and there's no animosity between the two of them.

"I admired him when I went to the national team, I'm aware of what he can do and of what he is doing," Dybala told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport. "He's very strong, he showed that at Real Madrid, winning many trophies, and he's now showing it at Napoli. I'm happy he's scoring, but hopefully not against us."

That's because Juventus meets Napoli on Saturday, the heavyweight matchup between two sides on club-record winning streaks. The Bianconeri have claimed 14 straight Serie A victories, while the Partenopei have eight of their own. Dybala and Higuain, respectively, are big reasons why they're having so much success.

Not that it was always supposed to be this way. Each player had something to prove, each had a heavy burden to carry, and each needed a little guidance from their new coach.

Higuain had just suffered through the humiliation of the Copa America final, in which he missed a glorious opportunity to score the winner and later botched a penalty kick. A month earlier in Naples, the 28-year-old sent a spot-kick well over the bar against Lazio, and Napoli lost a spot in the Champions League.

He gained a reputation for being a choke artist, a tortured soul who couldn't deliver on the big stage. The exit seemed like an easier route to take in the summer, with Rafa Benitez leaving and the otherwise inexperienced Maurizio Sarri taking the helm.

Sarri saw a nervous player in July, but he also saw one willing to learn more. His belief in Higuain was apparent from the beginning.

Related: Higuain can win Ballon d'Or, says Napoli manager Sarri

"The thing that really struck me about Sarri was his sincerity. In five minutes he convinced me to stay, he has got the best out of me and I will always be thankful," Higuain told Serie A's official channel. "I am happy, I feel confident and it will be the best year of my career if we manage to win something."

There wasn't as much inherent trust between Dybala and Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri in the early stages of their relationship. Allegri barely played his €32-million summer signing from Palermo, and when he did, there were open questions about his maturity.

But all the while, Allegri was simply protecting a precocious talent from overexposure. The former AC Milan manager, who has a name for guiding youth into the senior squad, slowly eased Dybala into the lineup. The results soon followed, both for the club and the player. He has scored nine of his 13 goals and recorded six of his eight assists during Juve's historical league run, helping to lift the club from 15th place to second.

He has earned the right to be called the next Sergio Aguero, with his economy of movement and his wonderful touch setting him apart from the rest of his counterparts. He is not a physical striker like Higuain, even if he has had the same kind of affect on his team.

Higuain has been honoured by his own comparisons. The connection with Diego Maradona, the Argentine who brought Naples to its feet in the early 1990s, only intensifies by the week. The fans idolise Higuain, and by his own admission, he can't even venture outside too often to take in the sights around the city.

He is now fully Napoli in spirit and body. He may not be a descendant of the south, like hometown boy Lorenzo Insigne, but he's its adopted son, much like Maradona was and still is.

The chants at the San Paolo are growing louder, and the ultimate Serie A scoring record is getting closer. No one has previously scored more than Gunnar Nordahl's 35 goals in a 20-match season; with 24 tallies through as many fixtures, Higuain is currently on pace to break Nordahl's mark.

Sarri helped usher in the Higuain we see now: He has 45 percent of Napoli's league goals this season, and he is even back on penalty-taking duties. Sarri encouraged his striker to take more penalties, to face a perceived fear head-on. And it has worked. Higuain's winner in Napoli's most recent victory, a 1-0 result against Carpi last weekend, came from that dreaded spot, 12 yards out.

He also scored the winner in the last fixture against Juventus in September, and while he has improved since then, so have his friend Dybala and the defending Serie A champion.

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