There is a significant level of intrigue around Liverpool's quarter-final match with Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
Not least because Jurgen Klopp's senior squad are in Qatar for the Club World Cup, meaning a full-team of youth players are set to turn out at Villa Park under the guidance of U23s boss Neil Critchley.
It's an incredible chance for the youngsters to test themselves at a very high level of first-team football and a chance for the Reds hierarchy to get an early peak into the future of the football club.
What Neil Critchley said about Liverpool players flying out to Qatar after Aston Villa HERE
This will be the 193rd meeting between Liverpool and Aston Villa with the first contest between the two clubs taking place back in 1894.
Despite the amount of matches played between two of the oldest clubs in English football, they have only met once before in the League Cup.
The previous game came in the 2002/03 quarter-final and the Reds won 4-3 on their way to winning the competition that season.
It's an interesting omen, given the only other time the European champions have met Villa was at the quarter-final stage, the same round of the competition they are meeting in this year too.
And positively, Liverpool have progressed from each of their last four League Cup quarter-finals in 2011/12, 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 while also winning each of their last six visits to Aston Villa in all competitions.
Of course, the weight of history will likely have no baring on the outcome of the match but it's clear Liverpool have the beating of the Villans while also knowing how to progress through in knockout competitions - particularly at this stage too.
