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IT IS the biggest game in English football. And yet, paradoxically, perhaps not the biggest game of the day.
Manchester United and Liverpool are England's two most successful and in-form clubs, and field the Premier League's two form players.
But, while a pair of title contenders clash at Stamford Bridge tonight, the one at Old Trafford is not short on significance.
While United pursue a 17th League title - to take them dangerously close to Liverpool's record of 18 - Rafael Benitez's men have to be more concerned with much closer local rivals: Everton's pursuit of fourth place.
Now, both are prospering at the business end of the season.
Or, as Sir Alex Ferguson first christened it, 'squeaky bum time' - defined as 'the tense final stages of a league competition, especially from the point of view of the leaders'.
Each team have taken 19 points from their last eight games. That is a sign that United, more than Arsenal and Chelsea, are holding their nerves in the run-in, and that Liverpool have produced the remarkable run they needed to extricate themselves from their mid-table predicament.
For United, the stakes are higher.
But Liverpool have more to prove. They have not scored in their last six League meetings between the giants.
Indeed, under Benitez, their only League strike against their most-hated rivals was a John O'Shea own goal.
If they are ever to truly challenge, they have to be capable of beating the best in the League, as well as Europe.
But, now, optimism abounds. Like United, they have found a fresh-faced idol from the Iberian Peninsula.
Both Fernando Torres and Cristiano Ronaldo are capable of high-speed dribbling, being destructive on the counter-attack, and exuding a languid sense of danger in front of goal.
Both, too, are playing magnificently. Ronaldo, creator and executioner combined, has 24 goals in as many League starts.
Torres' acceleration has been matched by the speed of his adjustment to the English game, and he has nine goals in his last six outings.
Yet, while both have illuminated plenty of other fixtures, they have not, as yet, determined this one.
Ronaldo has never scored against Liverpool, while Torres was muted in his only meeting with United.
Between them, they have 60 goals for the season. So, logic suggests that this could change.
History, however, indicates that there could be a more unheralded hero.
Carlos Tevez decided the clash at Anfield in December, but a contribution from a blue-chip goalscorer has become a rarity.
Rio Ferdinand has only seven United goals, but two were winners against Liverpool. Mikael Silvestre has also scored a match-winning brace, while, last season, O'Shea was the unlikely scorer at Anfield.
And rather than the premier attacking talents, United's recent encounters with Liverpool have been notable for the excellence of more defensively-minded players.
At Anfield, the partnerships of Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic and, shielding them, Owen Hargreaves and Anderson have excelled.
Having rested a raft of first-choice players against Bolton on Wednesday, Ferguson can recall Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and - if fit after a back problem - Ferdinand.
While Vidic's suspected broken nose may present a problem, selecting the correct duo from five possibilities in the centre of midfield is the United manager's stiffest task, however, as Liverpool are likely to outnumber them there.
Moreover, with Torres tending to occupy both central defenders, that leaves United's midfielders to worry about Steven Gerrard.
It should be a task for Hargreaves, yet to fully cement his place, to shackle his England teammate.
Unusually, Benitez's team selection is more predictable. Having finally found a formation he can field every game in his 4-2-3-1, identified Gerrard's finest position, and abandoned his rotation policy for the core of his side, the Spaniard's choices are clearer.
His major decision will be in picking between Martin Skrtel and Sami Hyypia in the centre of defence. The biggest concern, however, may be Fabio Aurelio, the left-back and Ronaldo's direct opponent.
Off the pitch, another battle will be conducted. Ferguson is the more fiery - the apostle of attacking football and the peerless man-manager.
Benitez is the great believer in the merits of the counter-attack and, given his willingness to challenge received wisdom, the bolder tactician.
Thus far, their rivalry has been dominated by the Scot.
However, if Benitez can end that tonight, it may prove to be the biggest say Liverpool have had in the title race since they were last champions in 1990.
stsports@sph.com.sg
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