Liverpool and Manchester City do battle for the first piece of English silverware on Sunday as they contest the League Cup final at Wembley.
Liverpool have won the competition three more times than any other side, while City are looking for a second triumph in three years.
Liverpool
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The Reds are going for a ninth success in the League Cup since its introduction 55 years ago, with their last triumph in 2012 following a penalty-shootout win over Cardiff City.
Liverpool are in the final after wins over Carlisle United, Bournemouth, Southampton and Stoke City. They only managed one goal in the ties against Carlisle, Bournemouth and Stoke, needing penalties in the third round and semi-finals, while their 6-1 fifth-round win at Southampton was by far the pick of the lot.
The Reds' win four years ago was the last time they won a trophy and should they win on Sunday it would be just four months after Jurgen Klopp succeeded Brendan Rodgers in charge at Anfield.
Klopp has done well to guide Liverpool to Wembley, but the Reds do not exactly enter this match in the best of form. In the Premier League they have won only two of their last seven matches, although one of those was last time out when they put six unanswered goals past rockbottom Aston Villa.
Since then they have squeezed past Augsburg 1-0 over two legs to reach the last 16 of the Europa League and earlier today discovered that arch-rivals Manchester United would be their opponents, a draw that Klopp seemed delighted with.
With 12 matches of the season remaining, Liverpool are eighth in the table as Klopp has not really improved their league form from the time under Rodgers earlier this season, and their upcoming fixtures look nasty on paper.
After Sunday's final they play City again at Anfield on Wednesday night before matches against Crystal Palace, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as two fixtures that need to be rearranged against Merseyside rivals Everton and defending Premier League champions Chelsea.
The Reds have kept three clean sheets in a row, but it is at the other end where things are most encouraging with Daniel Sturridge back fit and starting matches. Questions still remain over his future, but both he and Klopp insisted this week that the striker is happy at Anfield.
Recent form: LDLWDW
Man City
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While Liverpool have laboured in getting to the final, City have been scoring goals for fun this year in the League Cup and only encountered real problems in the semi-finals against Everton.
Sunderland (1-4), Crystal Palace (5-1) and Hull City (4-1) were all beaten comfortably before the Toffees gave Manuel Pellegrini's men a real test last month. Everton led 2-1 after the first leg and then moved two goals in front with the opener at the Etihad, but City fought back and sealed progress thanks to the ever-reliable Sergio Aguero.
City got to the final three times in the 1970s, winning twice (1970, 1976), but then endured a 38-year wait for their next appearance in 2014 when they defeated Sunderland at Wembley for what was Pellegrini's first piece of silverware as manager.
Like Liverpool, City were in European action in midweek and all but booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time by winning 3-1 away at Dynamo Kiev in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Pellegrini was able to name a well-rested, fully-fit side that included Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Aguero after deciding to ditch the FA Cup and field a heavily-weakened team last weekend at Chelsea. The Chilean's gamble paid off, with Toure, Silva and Aguero all scoring in Ukraine.
Wednesday's win also ended a miserable run of three straight defeats for City, who fell 5-1 to Chelsea in the Cup after crushing home defeats in the Premier League to title rivals Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Those recent losses in the league mean that City are fourth and six points behind table-toppers Leicester. With sides below them all playing this weekend, City could begin to nervously look over their shoulder if things do not turn around soon.
Recent form: WWLLLW
Team News
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As mentioned, former City youngster Sturridge is fit and firing again and Klopp is also close to having his first-choice backline available with Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren both returning to training this week.
However, it is unlikely that either of the duo will be deemed fit enough to start, so Kolo Toure may be present alongside Mamadou Sakho at centre-back.
Sturridge came off midway through the second half against Augsburg on Thursday so is likely to be ready to start up top on Sunday and he will be flanked by the Brazilian duo of Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho, who starred in the Reds' big win over City in November.
Midfielders Adam Lallana and Joe Allen also returned to training this week, but like Skrtel and Lovren they may not be deemed match-fit enough to start.
City, like Liverpool, are getting close to a clean bill of health and Pellegrini revealed today that Wilfried Bony, Eliaquim Mangala and Jesus Navas are all back in contention, although it would be a surprise to see any of them start.
It is expected that City will go with a similar lineup to the one that did so well in Kiev on Wednesday, with the possible only change at right-back if Pablo Zabaleta is preferred to Bacary Sagna.
Samir Nasri is one of three senior City players definitely out and he has decided to support his teammates by dying his hair bright blue ahead of Sunday's match.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Clyne, Toure, Lovren, Moreno; Henderson, Can; Milner, Firmino, Coutinho; Sturridge
Man City possible starting lineup:
Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy; Fernando, Fernandinho; Silva, Toure, Sterling; Aguero
Head To Head
Liverpool have won their last two matches against City and put in arguably their best performance of the season in the only meeting so far this campaign when they annihilated Pellegrini's side 4-1 at the Etihad in November.
City could not handle Liverpool's high tempo as the Reds raced out to a 3-0 lead after 32 minutes before Aguero gave the home side hope with a fine goal before half time. However, Liverpool did not buckle in the second half and Skrtel added further gloss late on.
These two last met in the League Cup four years ago in the semi-finals, when Liverpool won 1-0 away in the first leg before sealing their place in the final with a 2-2 draw at Anfield.
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We say: Liverpool 2-3 Man City
Liverpool might have kept three straight clean sheets, but City should be able to find the net and it could be an exciting, close final as both teams have near-fully fit squads to pick from. History suggests that there will be goals between these two.
Pascal Lemesre
