Are Liverpool really ready to reclaim the Premier League crown they won by 18 points in the dark days of COVID in 2020? Saturday's "summit conference" away to leaders Manchester City is the acid test of whether they are contenders or pretenders.
Jurgen Klopp's "mentality monsters" turned into comparative midgets last season when finishing fifth, but the team the manager christened his "Liverpool Mark 2.0" have been rebuilt into a dangerous outfit, scoring in every game this season. City's thrilling 4-4 draw at Chelsea last time out allowed Liverpool to move within a single point of the top with a 3-0 win over Brentford, and this is as close as they have been all season, enough to set pulses racing in the red half of Merseyside.