Liverpool have moved one step closer to the prospect of facing Manchester City four times in just 12 days after qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals.
Boasting a 2-0 first-leg lead against Inter Milan, the Reds progressed from the round of 16 despite a 1-0 defeat to the Serie A giants at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Man City are practically assured of their place in the final eight after winning 5-0 at Sporting Lisbon in their last-16 first-leg tie.
Barring a freak result, Pep Guardiola's side will confirm their place in the quarter-final draw on Wednesday after the second leg in Manchester.
And with the quarter-final first and second legs taking place either side of Liverpool's huge title clash at the Etihad Stadium, the stage is set for the two juggernauts to repeatedly lock horns in quick succession next month.
Jurgen Klopp's team currently trail City by six points in the Premier League but boast a game in hand, which will take place against Arsenal on Wednesday, March 16.
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Win that match and they face the prospect of sitting just three points behind Man City when they travel to the Etihad on April 10 in what could be a crucial championship decider.
Liverpool know if they win their remaining 11 league games they will in all likelihood be crowned champions.
Both sides know how decisive meetings between each other can be.
City pipped their big rivals to the title by a solitary point in 2018/19, with a goal-line clearance from John Stones at the Etihad ensuring the Reds suffered their only loss of the season.
As such, the pressure is most definitely on when they lock horns in April.
But it could be even more tense than this one-game showdown if the sides are pitted against each other in the Champions League quarter-final draw on March 18.
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Should that happen, as was the case at this stage in 2017/18, they will face each other three times in the space of a week, with the quarter-final first legs scheduled for April 5 and 6 and the second legs for April 12 and 13 - either side of that massive Premier League encounter at the Etihad.
Meanwhile, there also remains the possibility of the two teams actually taking each other on four times in succession, should they progress in the FA Cup.
Both clubs recently reached the FA Cup quarter-finals, with Man City travelling to Southampton and Liverpool making the trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, March 20.
Should they both make it through, the FA Cup semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Saturday 16 and Sunday, April 17, just days after the Champions League quarter-final second legs.
Currently viewed as the two best sides in Europe, the prospect of them standing in each other’s way for silverware both domestically and on the continent is mouthwatering.
And there even remains the small possibility of a 39th Premier League game to be required to split them to decide the title come May, should they finish level at the top of the table.
The Reds are no strangers to such a regularly-contested rivalry, having locked horns with Chelsea 24 times between 2004/05 and 2008/09 thanks to domestic cup and European exploits.
Yet despite winning the Champions League in 2005, Rafa Benitez’s men were rarely genuine title contenders come the business end of the season.
Klopp’s current charges are a different monster entirely.
Since 2018/19, when City narrowly beat Liverpool to the title, supporters have been robbed of the opportunity to see the two great rivals fight for honours, with them each falling comfortably short of the other in the Premier League title race in each of the last two campaigns.
But the stakes have now never been higher as Liverpool and Man City both look to finish this season on top come May.
