When Liverpool take to the field against Cardiff City on Sunday, supporters will be expecting a home win in 90 minutes, but a look back at a previous encounter suggests otherwise.
The two sides met at Wembley in the League Cup final in 2012, battling out a rollercoaster match that had to be settled from the penalty spot.
And with current FA Cup rules stipulating that all fourth-round ties must be settled on the day, there is the very real possibility that this contest could be resolved in precisely the same manner.
Liverpool were red hot favourites to lift the Carling Cup in 2012, with Kenny Dalglish taking his team to Wembley in his second stint as manager.
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A team that boasted the likes of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez was expected to beat their Championship opponents easily, but come February 26, the Bluebirds had other ideas.
Despite fullback Glenn Johnson rattling the Cardiff crossbar as early as the second minute, a crowd of 89,401 watched Cardiff take the lead in the 19th minute, when Kenny Miller played a simple through-ball to Joe Mason, who stuck the ball through Pepe Reina's legs, sending the Welsh contingency in the stadium wild with delight.
The underdogs would hold out until the hour mark when Liverpool finally drew level via an unusual source.
When a corner from Stuart Downing was headed goalwards by Andy Carroll, Suarez flicked the ball onto the post, but Martin Skrtel was on hand to slam home Liverpool's first-ever goal at the rebuilt Wembley stadium.
With nothing to choose between the sides after 90 minutes, the Reds took the lead early in the second period of extra-time when substitute Dirk Kuyt came off the bench to hit what looked like the winning goal.
But Malky Mackay's team weren't finished and with two minutes remaining, Ben Turner forced home a corner from close range to take the game into a penalty shoot-out.
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Nerves were frayed at both ends of the stadium and things could hardly have started any worse for Liverpool with captain Gerrard seeing his spot-kick brilliantly saved by Cardiff stopper Tom Heaton.
There was an instant reprieve when Miller followed up by smacking his effort against the post, but worse was yet to come.
Charlie Adam, who arrived at Anfield with a reputation for being a dead ball expert, inexplicitly sent his spot-kick into orbit, giving the Bluebirds another advantage, which they took via Don Cowie.
The ever-dependable Kuyt converted Liverpool's third attempt and this was where the comeback began.
When Rudy Gestede hit the post for Cardiff, Downing made no mistake, sending Heaton the wrong way and levelling the contest once more.
Peter Whittingham and Johnson both found the net, leaving just one kick left before the final would be venturing into sudden death.
The responsibility lay with substitute Anthony Gerrard - cousin of Steven - and the outcome was decisive.
Under extreme pressure the Cardiff substitute put his penalty wide and in the cruellest fashion imaginable, the League Cup was heading back to Anfield for a record eighth time.
It would be Dalglish's only trophy success in his second managerial reign at the club, after losing the FA Cup final to Chelsea three months later.
Sunday's encounter may not quite feature the high-stakes drama of a cup final, but if it ends up going the distance, that 2012 epic will be at the forefront of the visiting supporters' minds.
