Usually, this one would be taking on even more significance than it already is. A tense title run-in without Manchester City either biting at Liverpool’s heels or fending them off feels out of place.
But Jurgen Klopp goes to the Etihad Stadium with other things on his mind this year, the seven-point gap to fourth-placed Tottenham rather than silverware.
For City, this is unchartered territory under Pep Guardiola, a rival other than Liverpool going for the big one and doing so in a way that looks as if they’ll be lifting the Premier League in May.