It's a strange quirk of fate that has kept Liverpool and AFC Ajax apart for 54 years since their only previous competitive encounters in 1966, but tonight's duel at Johan Cruyff Arena should certainly be worth the wait.
Few other clubs embody the past and the present of the European Cup as well as these two.
Having won half of the tournament’s 14 editions from 1971 to 1984 between them, in more recent times both have ended long exiles from the knockout stages – nine years in Liverpool’s case, 13 in Ajax’s – to leap back into the big time.