Two teams who look to have fallen short of their primary ambitions for the season during the closing stages of the campaign will face off on Sunday as Liverpool welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Anfield in Jurgen Klopp's penultimate home game as manager of the Reds.
Liverpool have suffered an untimely dip in form to fall away from the three-way title race in recent weeks, with their main goal for the rest of the season now seemingly being to give Klopp the send-off he deserves.
Spurs, meanwhile, have now lost three games in a row to slip seven points behind Aston Villa in the battle for the final Champions League place, with only four games of their season remaining.
Depending on results elsewhere earlier in the weekend, defeat for either team could mathematically end their respective chances of finishing first or fourth.
Ahead of the contest, Sports Mole has taken on the enjoyable task of selecting the greatest combined XI between the two clubs from the Premier League era.
Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
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Widely regarded as one of the world's best goalkeepers for a number of years now, Alisson Becker has already established himself as a Liverpool and Premier League legend during his six years in the division.
The Brazilian became the world's most expensive keeper when he joined the Reds in 2018, but he has more than repaid that £67m fee since, becoming one of the key pieces of the jigsaw to help Klopp's men conquer domestically and in Europe.
Alisson has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and FIFA Club World Cup during his time at Anfield, and was named The Best FIFA Goalkeeper in 2019 too.
In over 250 appearances for the club - including almost 200 in the Premier League - Alisson has enjoyed many memorable moments, but perhaps none more so than his famous headed goal against West Bromwich Albion in the 2020-21 campaign - a goal that proved key to Liverpool qualifying for the Champions League that season.
Honourable mentions: Hugo Lloris, Pepe Reina
Right-back: Trent Alexander-Arnold
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Still only 25 years old, Trent Alexander-Arnold has plenty of time to further add to his Liverpool legacy, but his performances during more than 300 Liverpool games, over 200 of which have come in the league, already put him above any of his right-back predecessors at either club.
The England international has been an integral part of the Klopp team that has won it all at Anfield, lifting the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield, as well as helping the Reds to two more Champions League finals.
On an individual level, Alexander-Arnold has earned three PFA Team of the Year inclusions and was named the PFA and Premier League Young Player of the Season for 2019-20.
A particular honourable mention should go to Kyle Walker, who would be in the conversation for the Premier League's greatest-ever right-backs, but his best years have come at Manchester City, whereas for this team we are judging him solely on his Spurs career.
Honourable mentions: Kyle Walker, Markus Babbel, Stephen Carr, Kieran Trippier, Steve Finnan
Centre-backs: Jamie Carragher, Virgil van Dijk
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Tottenham fans will no doubt be up in arms about Ledley King missing out on a place in this team, but his is a story of unfulfilled potential given his injury problems and he only twice made more than 30 appearances in a single Premier League season.
Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, made more than 30 appearances in 11 separate seasons and ended his career having played almost twice as many top-flight games as King, hanging up his boots in 2013 with 508 Premier League outings to his name - a tally which leaves him in the all-time top 10.
Carragher was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2005-06 and helped Liverpool to a pair of second-placed finishes during his time at the club, although the main prize eluded him.
It did not elude Virgil van Dijk, though, with the Dutch colossus proving to be arguably the most important addition in turning Liverpool from perennial bridesmaids into the bride.
A stalwart of the Klopp side that has won all the biggest honours available to them, Van Dijk has catapulted himself into the conversation of the Premier League's greatest-ever centre-backs during his time at Anfield, and at one stage went through more than an entire season without a single player dribbling past him.
On an individual level, Van Dijk was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season for 2018-19, going on to finish second in the Ballon d'Or voting in 2019 - the first Premier League player since Cristiano Ronaldo to come in the top three, while he has been included in the Premier League Team of the Year three times.
Honourable mentions: Ledley King, Sami Hyypia, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Ibrahima Konate
Left-back: Andrew Robertson
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Another of Liverpool's current crop to have won it all, Andrew Robertson has helped to revolutionise the full-back position along with Alexander-Arnold on the opposite flank, with the duo's friendly assist competition pushing each other to new heights.
The duo already lead the way for most assists by defenders in Premier League history, with Robertson establishing himself as an almost permanent fixture on the left for Liverpool on their way to a Premier League title, a Champions League crown, one FA Cup and two EFL Cups.
A steal at an initial £8m from relegated Hull City, Robertson has twice been named in the PFA Team of the Year and is closing in on 300 appearances for the Reds across all competitions.
Honourable mentions: John Arne Riise, Danny Rose
Central midfielders: Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso
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Steven Gerrard was one of the first names on this teamsheet and a guaranteed starter in midfield, having been named in the PFA Team of the Year a record eight times during his glittering 17-year career in the Premier League.
Liverpool's captain fantastic arguably enjoyed his best moments in other competitions, while his infamous slip against Chelsea during the 2013-14 title race may well go down as his worst moment, but he remains a bona fide Premier League legend having scored 120 goals in 504 appearances in the top flight.
A winner of the PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Players' Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Fans' Player of the Year (twice) awards during his time with Liverpool, Gerrard's status as one of the Premier League's greatest ever is secure despite him agonisingly missing out on getting his hands on the trophy.
Alongside him is a midfield partner he ranks as his best from his time with Liverpool, with Xabi Alonso one of few players in Premier League history who could match Gerrard's passing ability.
The Spaniard made 143 top-flight appearances for Liverpool during his five years at the club and narrowly pips his former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric to a central midfield spot, with the Croatian enjoying his best years - including a Ballon d'Or-winning 2018 - at the Bernabeu.
Honourable mentions: Luka Modric, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Javier Mascherano, Mousa Dembele
Right-wing: Mohamed Salah
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Few players have taken the Premier League by storm like Mohamed Salah, who bounced back from a failed spell at Chelsea to score 32 goals in 36 top-flight matches during his first season at Liverpool - a competition record at the time for a 38-game campaign.
The Egyptian was unsurprisingly named the PFA Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season in that 2017-18 campaign, and he was named PFA Player and FWA Footballer of the Year again in 2021-22, becoming part of an exclusive club to have won both awards more than once.
Salah also won the Premier League Playmaker of the Season award that year, showcasing his ability to create as well as score, although his three Premier League Golden Boots prove that his greatest strength is putting the ball in the back of the net - only Thierry Henry has won more Golden Boots.
A three-time inclusion in the Premier League Team of the Year, Salah has won the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Community Shield, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup during his time at Anfield.
Now up to fifth in the all-time top-scorers list for Liverpool, and in the top 10 for the Premier League, he boasts over 200 goals for the Reds across all competitions, more than 150 of which have come in the top flight.
Honourable mentions: Darren Anderton
Left-wing: Gareth Bale
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There are at least three players in this XI who can make a good claim to have had one of the best individual Premier League seasons ever, and Gareth Bale's 2012-13 campaign is one of them. The Welsh winger was unstoppable at times on his way to scoring 21 goals in 33 games, ultimately earning himself a world-record move to Real Madrid.
Bale was far from a one-season wonder, though; he is one of only seven players to have won the PFA Player of the Year award twice and was named in the PFA Team of the Year in each of the three seasons before his departure to Spain.
The 2012-13 campaign was his zenith in England, though, as he became only the second player - after Ronaldo - to win the PFA Player of the Year, PFA Young Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards in the same season.
Bale made a brief return to Spurs on loan from Madrid in 2020-21 too, adding another 16 goals to his Premier League tally.
Honourable mentions: Sadio Mane, Son Heung-min, Steve McManaman, David Ginola
Centre-forwards: Luis Suarez, Harry Kane
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Luis Suarez is another of those who can lay claim to the best individual Premier League campaign, having come within a whisker of leading Liverpool to the title with 31 goals in just 33 appearances in 2013-14.
The Uruguayan's time in the top flight was relatively short compared to some of the other candidates for a forward role, scoring 69 goals in 110 top-flight appearances, but he was that rarest of players who was impossible to defend against on his day.
That 2013-14 campaign saw him named the PFA Player, FWA Footballer and Premier League Player of the Season, as well as earning him a second successive inclusion in the PFA Team of the Year.
While it was a very tight choice between Suarez and a number of other legendary figures in the honourable mentions list, the man alongside him in the forward line was an automatic pick.
Only Alan Shearer has scored more Premier League goals than Harry Kane, with the England captain reaching 213 in the top flight before his departure for Bayern Munich.
Indeed, had it not been for the Bayern switch, Kane looked almost certain to surpass Shearer's long-standing and seemingly unassailable tally of 260, but the lure of trophies in Germany proved too strong for a man that had missed out on the biggest team honours at Spurs.
There was no shortage of individual honours for Kane in North London; he ended his time there as the club's all-time leading scorer with 280, a tally that saw him claim three Premier League Golden Boots along the way - only Henry has more.
The prolific striker was a six-time inclusion in the Premier League Team of the Year and also scooped the PFA Young Player, PFA Fans' Player and Premier League Playmaker of the Year awards throughout his goal-laden career.
Honourable mentions: Robbie Fowler, Fernando Torres, Roberto Firmino, Michael Owen, Robbie Keane, Teddy Sheringham, Jermain Defoe
Greatest Liverpool vs. Tottenham combined XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Carragher, Van Dijk, Robertson; Salah, Gerrard, Alonso, Bale; Suarez, Kane
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