Andrew Nabbout expects his reunion with German Ferreyra to involve swearing, kicking and fierce competitiveness.
He wouldn't have it any other way.
Melbourne City veteran Nabbout and Argentinian central defender Ferreyra spent two seasons together, including winning the 2024-25 championship.
Ferreyra, 30, joined Western Sydney in the off-season to partner with Anthony Pantazopoulos at the Wanderers and will face his old team for the first time at AAMI Park on Saturday.
"Another battle, another war with the two centre-backs over there - they're probably going to kick the hell out of me as well, which I'm looking forward to," Nabbout said with a grin.
"But they're going to come out firing as well.
"I know German pretty well and I'm going to have a good battle against him.
"He taught me all the bad Spanish words, so I'll be saying them back to him next week."
Nabbout, 33, is finally enjoying an injury-free run after dealing with an Achilles tear, a bad calf injury and a ruptured ACL in recent years.
He was "gutted" when young striker Max Caputo went down with a hamstring injury this season and has made a point of putting an arm around the 21-year-old.
While Caputo should return after the November international break, Nabbout is making the most of his chance to lead the line.
"This is the first year that I've completed the first three games in four years or something, so I'm really, really enjoying it," Nabbout said.
"I'm taking it all in, not taking anything for granted, just really enjoying my football.
"I love leading the line, I love these boys behind me. It's just a pleasure to be working with them."
At 33, the former Socceroos striker feels as fresh as ever and says he has plenty of good football ahead of him.
"That ACL gave me 12 months to rest my body," Nabbout said.
"As bad as it was, those 12 months have probably prolonged my career by a couple of years.
"So I feel great, even though I'm getting belted out there. It's fun because I'm probably doing the same to them, but I'm feeling fantastic."
City got off the mark at the weekend, with recruits Awer Mabil and Emiliano Marcondes starring in a 2-1 win over Sydney FC.
Brazilian midfielder Matheus Rossetto should soon join the mix, while Mathew Leckie is building fitness, with Nabbout tipping City's midfield will soon be "by far the best in the league".
City want that to translate to silverware too, after going empty-handed last season.
"We've got a good bunch of Socceroos, ex-Socceroos, we've got some really, really good young players, and you can see it really starting to gel out there," Nabbout said.
"We've definitely got a point to prove.
"We're looking for silverware every single year. That's a standard we set."
