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Monaco manager Thierry Henry says he will not like Nice boss Patrick Vieira "for a little bit" when the ex-Arsenal and France team-mates meet for the first time in their managerial careers.
Vieira became Nice manager last June, while Monaco hired Henry in October.
The pair face each other in Wednesday's Ligue 1 game, after the fixture was postponed for security measures amid anti-government protests in France.
"He is a friend of mine and he is a guy that I admire," said Henry.
"Not only for the player but also for the man, and the game will not change that.
"But it is Monaco versus Nice which is the most important thing, and for a little bit, we are not going to like each other."
Having won the 1998 World Cup together for France, Henry and Vieira went on to secure five major trophies in the same team at Arsenal.
Fellow Frenchman and former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger built his 'Invincibles' - a double-winning team that went through the entire 2003-04 domestic season unbeaten - around fellow countrymen Vieira and Henry.
Vieira was a combative central midfielder who captained the side and Henry - the Gunners' all-time top goalscorer with 228 - provided class and elegance up front.
The duo built a lasting legacy at the club, in a period in which they delivered two Premier League titles and three FA Cup trophies at Highbury, while Vieira also played a pivotal role in Wenger's first league and cup double in 1998.
Henry and Vieira won the Premier League on two occasions together at Arsenal
Current Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi said he moved to Emirates Stadium from Ligue 2 side Lorient in the summer, because he "fell in love with the club" watching Henry and Vieira as a boy.
Team-mates for club and country, the pair also won France's first World Cup on home soil in 1998, before adding the European Championship two years later at Euro 2000.
Following their spell together in north London, Vieira played for Juventus, Inter Milan and Manchester City, before taking on a coaching role at Etihad Stadium.
Henry won the Champions League with Barcelona before eventually retiring while at Major League Soccer (MLS) side New York Red Bulls.
Vieira's first job as a manager came in the MLS with New York City in November 2015, before returning to France to take the reins at Nice this summer, while Henry's first managerial appointment at Monaco followed a brief coaching role with Belgium under Roberto Martinez.
Both men had difficult starts to life in Ligue 1, taking only one point from their first three games, although Vieira's side are currently in eighth place having only lost three matches since August.
Monaco are languishing in 19th , four points adrift of safety, having only won twice in their 10 league games since striker Henry took over.
Henry's side are currently on their longest winless streak at home in the top flight since 1968-69, having failed to win in their last eight matches, while Nice have lost only once in their last eight away games in Ligue 1.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas left Stamford Bridge in January to join former team-mate Henry at the Stade Louis II.
Cesc Fabregas moved to Monaco from Chelsea on a three-and-a-half year deal in January
The Spaniard also played alongside Vieira in the heart of Arsenal's midfield, notably during the 2005 FA Cup triumph over Manchester United, and the 31-year-old is likely to feature for the hosts after making an impressive Ligue 1 debut in Monaco's 1-1 away draw with Marseille.
Fabregas only made one start for Chelsea in the Premier League this season, but lasted the full 90 minutes as Monaco came from behind to claim a hard-earned point at the Stade Velodrome.
Speaking after the game, Henry said his new signing "evolved with the game".
"Minute after minute, he started to put his hand on the game and take that break," Henry explained.
"He breaks between the lines from the middle, and is able to see where we have to play and where to give the ball."
