There's a good chance both Liverpool and Arsenal will view the League Cup as something of an inconvenience this season.
The European champions have bigger fish to fry and as for Unai Emery, even lifting the trophy might not salvage his ever-dimming reputation among Gunners fans.
It would be no surprise, therefore, if both Emery and Jurgen Klopp opted for weakened teams.
Regardless, anyone who might be tempted to either not turn up or switch off ought to remember what happened last time the north Londoners traipsed up the M1 on a weeknight for a League Cup tie at Anfield.
Arsene Wenger's side emerged victorious in a 6-3 thriller back in the 2007 quarter-finals.
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Again, both teams rang the changes and it begs the question - who was in their respective starting XI's and what became of them?
LIVERPOOL
Jerzy Dudek
Forever a legend for his role in the Miracle of Istanbul, Dudek is now retired and settled in Poland. He has held ambitions of becoming a racing driver and has taken part in championships in Eastern Europe.
Lee Peltier
The defender never played a league game for Liverpool but is now in the longest stint of his career at Cardiff.
Sami Hyypia
Hyypia has tried his hand at management with Bayer Leverkusen, Brighton, and FC Zurich but is currently out of work.
Gabriel Paletta
Known for his wild tackles, Paletta is currently without a club having played in Argentina, Italy and China since leaving Merseyside.
Stephen Warnock
Something of a journeyman career, the England international played for 10 different clubs. He can now be found doing TV work.
Danny Guthrie
With Manchester United and Liverpool on his CV at youth level, big things were expected. They didn't quite work out that way, though, and he's now on the books at Walsall.
Steven Gerrard
You're probably familiar with this gentleman - he's in his first managerial job at Rangers.
Fabio Aurelio
Aurelio's career came to a sad end. Upon returning to Gremio in Brazil, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury that effectively ended his playing days.
Mark Gonzales
Now 35, the Chilean is seeing out the final years of his career in his homeland.
Robbie Fowler
Kopites were ecstatic when 'God' returned to the club for a second stint. Obviously, he was no longer as prolific yet remained a hero. The former striker is now to be found managing in Australia with Brisbane Roar.
Craig Bellamy
Bellamy was, until recently, coaching Cardiff City's U18 side. The Welshman stepped down earlier this year amid allegations of bullying.
ARSENAL
Manuel Almunia
Almunia got more regular football at Watford but eventually retired on medical advice when a rare heart condition was picked up as part of a routine scan.
Justin Hoyte
Hoyte tumbled down the rungs of English football's ladder but has since settled stateside with FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference of the MLS.
Kolo Toure
Toure, of course, ended up at Liverpool later on before ending his playing career at Celtic. The Ivorian is now on Brendan Rodgers' coaching staff at Leicester.
Johan Djourou
The Swiss defender was actually on Arsenal's books for 10 years, including loan spells. He's currently without a club since leaving his most recent side, SPAL.
Armand Traoré
The 30-year-old has struggled to fulfil his potential and is now playing a bit-part role in Turkey with Çaykur Rizespor.
Theo Walcott
Walcott was just a teenager but huge things were expected of him. Arsenal fans are probably divided on the extent to which he delivered, but at any rate he was sold to Everton in 2018. That's where he remains.
Cesc Fabregas
Fabregas did win two titles while in London - unfortunately they came after he joined Chelsea. The midfielder was taken to Monaco by Thierry Henry earlier this year before his old teammate was sacked.
Alex Song
Oh, what might have been. Injuries were not kind to Song, though he did get his big move to Barcelona in 2012. Spells at West Ham and Rubin Kazan followed. He's now in Switzerland with Sion.
Denilson
It was a dream move for Denilson when he joined boyhood club Arsenal. Never quite nailing down a regular place, he ended up back in Brazil but is also now without a club.
Julio Baptista
The League Cup really was his forte, wasn't it? The forward wasn't known as 'The Beast' for nothing. The Brazilian went on to have a respectable career with the likes of Roma and Malaga and retired in 2019 following a year at CFR Cluj in Romania.
Jeremie Aliadiere
The 36-year-old has spoken incredibly candidly about how he has struggled to adapt to the emptiness of life after football. Ending his career at Lorient, the ex-striker is now considering his next move.
It's remarkable to think that crazy night at Anfield was now 12 years ago.