Not only is it expected that a number of Benetton Treviso and Zebre Parma players will be facing Gonzalo Quesada's Italy in the less familiar surroundings of the Serie A stadium, but the Azzurri head coach himself is something of a Pumas legend. And that's before adding into the mix the long history between the two nations.
It's a history that stretches well beyond the 23 previous matches between the two rugby teams - one that shows 17 Albiceleste (or 'white and sky blue') victories, and five Italian victories, plus a draw. It's a relationship that has its roots in the sweeping vistas of the 20th century itself: the great emigration of thousands of Italians to South America. The origins are evident today in surnames and place names of Argentina.
In another quirk of fate, the stadium for this weekend's match (the home of football's Udinese), is located on Piazzale Repubblica Argentina...
In rugby itself, the mixed heritage has more often than not seen a greater proportion of Argentinians representing Italy, having arrived in the Bel Paese ('beautiful country') to play in the domestic league before wearing the national team jersey. Today, however, something has changed: Juan Ignacio "Nacho" Brex is the last and only player of Argentine origins in the group called up for this year's Autumn Nations Series.
In the past, there was an almost inextricable link when it came to the Italian national squad. It would be enough to mention just three household names. Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni, with 142 and 119 caps respectively, are two of Italy's most-capped players, and then, rewinding the tape even further, there stands the towering (figuratively speaking) figure of Diego Dominguez who, with his 983 points, is still the top points scorer in Azzurri history and who, before 1991, also made two appearances for Argentina.
Saturday will be a very special match for the Argentine Gonzalo Quesada, who appears to have been an inspired signing by the FIR, and who officially joined the set-up at the start of the year. It will be the first time coaching against his country, of which he was once assistant coach to former Pumas hooker Mario Ledesma, and for whom he boasts 38 caps from 1996 to 2003 - scoring a notable 486 points. Importantly, Italy will be seeking their first win against the Pumas since 2008, hoping to end a run of eight successive defeats.
And just look at who's now in charge of Argentina: Quesada's former teammate Felipe Contepomi, with whom he often competed for the fly-half spot. For former Leinster playmaker Contepomi - a direct influence on none other than Ireland's Johnny Sexton - there is no direct link to Italy, but his twin brother Manuel, also a former Pumas player, turned out for Rovigo in the 2006/2007 season.
This will be Contepomi's first November campaign as coach of Argentina, with whom he has so far achieved five wins and four defeats. The recent Rugby Championship produced some magnificent results, the 47-year-old steering his team to victory against all their opponents for the first time: South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
In this year's Autumn Nations Series, Los Pumas will first face Italy on Saturday, then on Friday 15 November they will face world number one Ireland in Dublin, before closing out against France at the Stade de France seven days later.
Included in Argentina's squad for this campaign are several URC players. Zebre scrum-half Gonzalo Garcia returns, and will compete for a place with his counterpart from Treviso, Olympic sevens bronze winner Lautaro Bazan Velez. Tomas Albornoz of Treviso, who also shone during The Rugby Championship, will be looking to stake his claim for the fly-half jersey. Elsewhere, Treviso prop Thomas Gallo remains a figurehead of the Pumas pack.
Italy v Argentina, Saturday 9th November, 17:40 GMT, Stadio Friuli. Live on TNT Sports.
