Jurgen Klopp had a vision upon his arrival on Merseyside in 2015; he wanted to transform Liverpool into a unit that wholly represented his favoured brand of intense and thrilling football.
The German outlined the need for the Reds to enjoy their own game, before expressing that his style of play would be very emotional, fast and strong.
Ralf Rangnick had a similar and more refined concept in mind after speaking in 2012 with Dietrich Mateschitz, billionaire and co-founder of the Red Bull energy drink company.
Rangnick - who was brought in by former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier at the time - was tasked with devising and implementing a footballing blueprint for Red Bull that would accurately embody the extreme qualities of the drinks brand.
Felix Baumgartner rose to fame in 2012 as he jumped to Earth from a helium balloon on the edge of the stratosphere. The event was groundbreaking, and it was part of the Red Bull Stratos project as the brand aimed to further market key selling points by exploring new approaches to promotion.
Once Rangnick was appointed as head of sport and development, he set about aligning the football team with the target market - with that being people aged between 16 and 25 - by signing youthful players who had the necessary skills to execute a radical playing style.
The 62 year-old resigned earlier this year after eight years in the position, but many of the foundations that he initially established are still in place at clubs such as Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig, with Liverpool drawn against the latter in Monday's Champions League round-of-16 draw.
It will be the first ever meeting between the English champions and the club with whom they share many similarities when it comes to football operations, with the Reds developing a tendency over the years for poaching the best talents that the Red Bull scouting network is able to produce.
"He [Klopp] does not need to thank me," Rangnick said, "but it's definitely no coincidence that he has four former players of mine - three Red Bull and Joel Matip - because it shows that he is looking for the same kind of players with the same assets."
It is a very proactive style of football. High pressing, fast, counter-attacking, exciting and above all else, entertaining. Jurgen - like myself - likes to press high with the back four on the halfway line and this is pretty similar to my approach. We are not big fans of square and back passes."
As Liverpool and Leipzig have both evolved over the years, they have diverted slightly from the principles that formed the crux of their rise to the business end of the European table in order to achieve positive results with greater consistency.
While attacking football has been retained, the square passes in particular have been welcomed more so than before as a means of gaining control over proceedings.
Chaos on the field can deliver memorable performances and make for captivating viewing, but as Liverpool and Leipzig have both matured, they have gained a greater appreciation for the perks of dominant possession-based ideas.
The upcoming clash will be fascinating regardless, but it is somewhat less likely to descend into an end-to-end basketball game as was almost certain to be the case had the two met around two years ago.
Julian Nagelsmann was Rangnick's final managerial appointment before his departure, with the 33 year-old tipped to become one of the best around over the course of the next decade having started his journey in charge of Hoffenheim aged just 28.
Klopp and Nagelsmann clashed a number of years ago as Liverpool and Hoffenheim battled to qualify for a spot in the Champions League, with the Reds boss winning 6-3 on aggregate over two legs.
The Leipzig boss is still learning his trade but with better players at his disposal this time around, he will hope to overcome his fellow countryman in what could essentially act as an audition of sorts for a future managerial position in England's top-flight, and perhaps even at Anfield.
Although the pair will meet for the first time on February 16th, the impending clash was inevitable based on the long-running parallels between the two clubs.
