The draw for the knockout stages of the Champions League took place on Monday with Liverpool paired to face Inter Milan when the competition resumes in mid-February.
The timing was appropriate considering Liverpool's next Premier League opponents, as on Sunday Jurgen Klopp will come up against Tottenham Hotspur and their new manager Antonio Conte, who departed Inter over the course of the summer.
And Conte's impact is still influencing proceedings at the San Siro despite his departure.
His 3-5-2 system has been retained by Simeone Inzaghi, the man who has replaced the ex-Chelsea boss in the hot seat.
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Inzaghi has made few changes to the system that delivered success last season, with Edin Dzeko taking the place of the departed Romelu Lukaku up front, and that is proving to be a sensible move.
Inter won Serie A under Conte in 2020-21 and, this time around, they are top once more having scored the most goals while conceding the second-fewest on the defensive side of the game.
Liverpool have a hectic winter calendar to navigate before their high-profile bout with Inter, but this weekend's contest with Tottenham could offer an insight into how they will fare when the Champions League restarts.
Spurs are now managed by Conte and the Italian coach is working to install many of his fixed principles into his new group of players, including a back-three system.
The 3-5-2 formation he deployed at Inter has changed slightly to become 3-4-3 at Tottenham but regardless, Liverpool's showings on Sunday could mirror their displays against Inter in February.
Klopp has met Conte four times as a coach, but the pair cannot be separated so far. The Reds boss has won one, lost one and drawn two of the four clashes, although he's yet to possess the stronger group of players.
This weekend, that will change considering the strength of his Liverpool side.
And if the Reds manage to dominate at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, supporters can expect the same at the San Siro in two months' time.
