Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool will look to herald a new era with the Capital One Cup title, but it will be far from easy as they face Manchester City in the final at Wembley on Sunday.
Klopp's reign at Liverpool has been quite up and down, with results in the English Premier League not exactly providing plenty of reasons for encouragement. However, Liverpool have marched into their first cup final under Klopp, and the last thing they will want to do is throw a title away with another what-is-happening-here performance.
"I am long enough in the business to know I am greedy for success," Klopp told the Liverpool Echo. "For sure we will go to the final and try and achieve this. It is more important for the club, the crowd and the players.
"Lots of managers work their whole life and never get the chance to win trophies. After a short time we have that chance. Of course I would enjoy it with all I have. Everybody will give their all.
"Clubs with a big history like Liverpool, it is always the same problem if they are not successful in the present. With the right decisions and then the right patience you can get back on track.
"With all the big clubs around with a lot of money, we should not go the same way, we have to go our way, how Liverpool always did. This win would help. It would help to win the Capital One Cup but it is not the only possibility for everyone to believe in this way."
While Liverpool look to give wings to a new era with a trophy, Manchester City will look to close one out in the best possible manner. Manuel Pellegrini will step down from his role as Manchester City manager at the end of this season to make way for Pep Guardiola, and while City still have eyes on bigger prizes in the shape of the Champions League and Premier League, the Capital One Cup crown will be a good way to begin bidding goodbye to the gentleman that is Pellegrini.
"It's a very important week," Pellegrini told the club's official website. "To play a big final at Wembley against Liverpool is very important too. It's my mentality to try to win all the time.
"To win in February one title that gives you a lot of trust to continue fighting for other competitions. We are six points behind the leaders in the Premier League and we will continue to fight to the end - this could give us a lot of trust if we are successful on Sunday."
The last time the two teams met, Liverpool thumped Manchester City 4-1. That is unlikely to happen this time, but it will be interesting to see how City cope with Liverpool's high press. To help them cope with that, Pellegrini should have Vincent Kompany, Bacary Sagna, Raheem Sterling, Elaiquim Mangala, Wilfried Bony and Jesus Navas all available.
Sterling will definitely hope to be fit and ready for the game, as the playmaker looks to derail his former team's cup title hopes.
For Liverpool, while Martin Skrtel, Adam Lallana and Joe Allen are back in training, this final might come too early for them, but Dejan Lovren should return to the starting lineup after missing the Europa League win over Augsburg on Thursday.
Where to Watch Live
Liverpool vs Manchester City -- the final of the League Cup -- is scheduled for a 4.30 pm GMT (11.30 am ET, 10 pm IST) start, with live TV coverage in India on Ten HD and Ten Action. The match can also be watched via live streaming online in India on Ten Sports Live.
Viewers in the UK can watch the Capital One Cup final live on Sky Sports 1, while Liverpool vs Manchester City can also be live streamed online on Watch Sky Sports and Sky Go. The radio option for the final is BBC Radio 5 Live.
Audience in the Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, US, Canada, France, Middle East, North Africa, and Australia can watch the Capital One Cup final live on Bein Sports. The live stream option is on Bein Sports Connect.
QQ Sports, Guangdong Sports and PPTV will broadcast the match live in China, while Singapore viewers can watch Liverpool vs Manchester City live on Eleven.