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As Liverpool and Chelsea meet tonight in a third Champions League semi-final in four seasons, there will be more than a hint of deja vu.
There will also be the knowledge that their four semi-final games have brought a mere three goals.
A cagey match is probable, but it makes every element essential. Every minor advantage must be exploited. Every potential weakness has to be probed.
So this will be tactical. Rafael Benitez does not expect the free-for-all attacking of the quarter-final against Arsenal to be repeated.
That should suit him. Tactical, chess-like games are to his liking.
Avram Grant, who got the better of Arsene Wenger in the final 20 minutes against Arsenal recently, has otherwise been found wanting in such encounters. His reputation hinges on these two legs.
It makes both managers' choice of system and personnel more significant. Benitez has settled on a 4-2-3-1, while Grant has been unable to wean Chelsea away from Jose Mourinho's favoured 4-3-3.
There is scope for fluidity within both, but key individuals could be paired off, and three major battles could determine the tie.
The identities of Liverpool's two major threats are no secret. The question is how to stop them.
Fernando Torres - 30 goals and counting - is a class act, seeming to glide past defenders and unleashing ferocious shots with the minimum of effort.
Chelsea's centre-backs excelled at Everton last Thursday, but one is much more likely to halt Torres.
Despite John Terry's typically forthright brand of leadership, Ricardo Carvalho is best suited to counter Torres.
He is also the in-form defender at Chelsea and possesses a blend of pace, well-timed tackles and outright cynicism that might frustrate the Spaniard.
At the attacking tip of one midfield and the defensive base of another, a second pivotal contest pits Steven Gerrard's athleticism with Claude Makelele's experience.
Chelsea tend to ration the veteran's games, but it is telling that he plays in the majority of the major matches. Far from reaching for his footballing pension, he has proved one of Grant's most dependable performers.
Liverpool's captain, meanwhile, missed the win over Fulham with a convenient minor neck injury. There is no chance he will miss this.
Makele is second to none in his reading of the game and his positioning.
It means that, despite the onset of age, he is rarely embarrassed. But, should he find himself trapped in a direct race against a marauding Gerrard, the Englishman will outpace him.
Moreover, Gerrard's symbiotic relationship with Torres makes Makelele's job still more important. Nullify Liverpool's No8 and much of the supply line to their No9 is cut off.
Don't, and Torres' recent remarkable form at Anfield (11 goals in seven games) should continue.
At the other end, expect a physical battle. Champions League nights and Chelsea bring Jamie Carragher's warrior-like qualities to the fore.
While Benitez has used his vice-captain at right-back recently, this is the ideal opportunity to restore him to the centre of defence.
If Didier Drogba, Chelsea's human battering ram, is fit after a knee problem, Carragher is qualified to halt him.
Sami Hyypia's lack of speed can be telling while Martin Skrtel is promising but callow. Carragher, who produced a career-defining performance against Chelsea in 2005, is a must in the middle.
Not that they will be the only key clashes. For example, can Javier Mascherano stop Joe Cole and, if he plays, Frank Lampard from exerting an influence?
Will Ashley Cole drag Dirk Kuyt back? Which of Chelsea's under-achieving right-backs could keep the unpredictable Ryan Babel quiet? And the biggest question of all: can Grant outwit Benitez?
