From the outside, it's difficult to ascertain just who 'needs' an FA Cup final win the most out of Liverpool and Chelsea.
The 141st edition will see two of the top three teams in England going head to head in the type of glamorous finale that has been something of a rarity in recent years.
Only one other time since 2010, when Manchester United and Chelsea met in 2018, can there be a legitimately comparable sort of showpiece in that time.
So for a competition that is often derided in the modern era, Liverpool v Chelsea represents must-see viewing for all football fans in the country.
And perhaps what makes it most intriguing to the neutrals not on Wembley Way on Saturday are the varying factors at play for why both sides are fuelled by the desire for victory.
For Chelsea, it's quite a simple one. Having seen their season stagnate since their Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, they have been drifting listlessly.
So directionless have their performances been of late that they even found themselves the sudden target of top-four hopefuls of Arsenal and Tottenham, who sensed they could sneak in at the expense of their fellow Londoners. A 3-0 win at Leeds earlier this week has probably ended those concerns at least.
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp reveals private text messages from UEFA over Liverpool ticket fiasco
LIVERPOOL TRANSFERS: Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham stance as Erling Haaland position explained
READ MORE: Ibrahima Konate opens up on Liverpool transfer, Virgil van Dijk advice and 'historic' season
Victory on Saturday will paper over the cracks of a title charge that disintegrated gradually over the course of the campaign after making an excellent start in the opening few months or so.
A second season that ends in silverware under Thomas Tuchel can mask over what has been a steady decline, particularly since the turn of the year, while also offering an embattled fanbase a brief moment to forget about the ownership concerns of their club as the fallout from the Roman Abramovich sanctions go on.
For Liverpool, none of that is their concern. They have several of their own reasons for wanting more silver to add to the 2021/22 haul. All of them for much more jocular reasons than Chelsea's. While the Blues head to the national stadium in a desperate effort to salvage their season, the Reds journey 200 miles south in a contrastingly buoyant mood. It could make all the difference.
Success for Jurgen Klopp offers further validation to the theory that this current iteration of Liverpool FC is one of its greatest ever. It's now the only trophy that eludes the CV of the German at Anfield, if we discount a Europa League trophy that few of the game's greats truly want to contest too often.
In many ways, the reasons for wanting more are the very same ones that were held for the Carabao Cup triumph against this same Chelsea side at this same Wembley venue at the end of February.
“I don’t judge my time here on trophies too much," Klopp said last month. "It is about the way we play, the way we develop and the state the club is in. This is a healthy club in a good situation. We all know one failure, one little misstep, and at least one competition can be gone. That’s no problem for us, we’re just ready for the next challenge.”
There is admirable honesty to Klopp's words and Liverpool, whatever happens between now and the end of the season, have enough of a sample size from their 59 games this term to indicate they will once again be competing at the top end of football when that time comes around again.
But at such a delicately poised period of their recent history, with so much to be seized, this Liverpool squad find themselves on the cusp of genuine greatness. The Premier League will likely be nuzzling into the Manchester City bosom when the final whistle blows on the domestic campaign, barring a shock collapse, but occasions like Saturday and the Champions League final in Paris later this month offer Klopp's squad more swings at iconic status.
Anything extra that is tapped on to the famous champions' wall outside Anfield - one that already had a first-ever Club World Cup added alongside a sixth European Cup and 19th league crown under Klopp - is just more weight for those demanding this Liverpool team is considered one of the finest ever.
It is why Saturday's FA Cup final offers more than just a decorative flourish to an unforgettable season; it will be seen as further evidence for those making the case.
This, however you view the world's oldest cup competition now, is a final worthy of any showpiece. For Klopp, and Liverpool, its effects could be profound.
