LONDON -- Antonio Conte says he will shake Walter Mazzarri's hand when Chelsea face Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday, despite the pair's often acrimonious rivalry during their spells in charge of Juventus and Napoli.
The relationship between the two men soured in 2012 after Mazzarri suggested that Conte had copied the 3-5-2 system he had implemented to great effect at Napoli, and on several occasions after hotly contested matches against Juventus the pair refused to shake hands.
But Conte insists any animosity he showed towards Mazzarri in Italy was simply the product of the fierce rivalry between Juventus and Napoli, and the Chelsea boss says he talked with his countryman about the challenge of working in England at a recent coaches' meeting before the start of the season.
"I spoke with him about this new experience," Conte said of Mazzarri. "It's a great challenge also for him. I saw him very focused about this experience.
"When we were in the Italian championship and fought for the title, Juventus against Napoli, yes... but when you are fighting for a title, everyone thinks about his own club. The relationship is very normal.
"I have great respect for him and for his work. He's a good manager. I will shake his hand, no problem. But I repeat: I saw him at the coaches' meeting and spoke with him, and with his assistant coach too."
Chelsea got their Premier League campaign off to the perfect start on Monday with a hard-fought 2-1 win over West Ham at Stamford Bridge, but Conte is keen to stress on his players that Mazzarri's Watford will be another tough assignment.
"Tomorrow will be a good game, against a good team, for my players," he added. "We know it's not an easy game because Watford are a solid team with good players, with two strikers who are very strong and play together very well.
"We must pay attention, a lot of attention, because tomorrow is a dangerous game for us. In this moment, we have to send the right message. We need the right message for the confidence, for the work from the training sessions.
"For this reason, it's important to face this game with the right intensity and the right concentration, very focused. I await this tomorrow."