Liverpool make the trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon knowing that they can move into second place in the Premier League table ahead of the remainder of the weekend's fixtures.
As for Palace, the Eagles have an opportunity to move five points clear of the relegation zone and record their second victory in a row having defeated Huddersfield Town before the international break.
Crystal Palace
© SilverHubSupporters of Crystal Palace have been forced to endure a rollercoaster campaign since the start of August but even after two separate seven-match winless streaks, the Eagles still sit above the relegation zone with seven matches remaining.
Whatever happens during the rest of the season, Roy Hodgson has worked wonders at Selhurst Park during a time when fans had started to fear each upcoming game, but 25 points being recorded from 16 matches before Christmas has put Palace and Hodgson in a position that they probably deemed impossible when under the watch of Frank de Boer.
There is still much work to do with Palace likely to require at least a point per game until the middle of May, but the 2-0 victory over Huddersfield has provided the London outfit with the boost that they needed while some of their rivals were taking part in the FA Cup.
Before their visit to the John Smith's Stadium, Palace had registered just two points and conceded 15 goals from seven outings, but the fixture fell at the right time with their hosts having failed to score against 10-man Swansea City in their previous game and Hodgson's side took full advantage.
Both goals came from set pieces, with James Tomkins turning the ball into the net from a corner and Luka Milivojevic again proving reliable from the penalty spot, but Hodgson would have been more impressed with how Palace limited Huddersfield to just six shots in front of their own fans.
Much is made of Wilfried Zaha's impact in this side, but the return of centre-back Mamadou Sakho could prove decisive with Palace keeping clean sheets in the last three games which the French international has started.
Christian Benteke is still waiting to add to his two goals for the season, but the target man - with five assists to his name - is proving to be a nuisance to opposition defenders on a regular basis and you would not necessarily back against him getting on the scoresheet against his former club.
After Saturday, Palace have fixtures against teams no higher than eighth spot in the standings, but with Liverpool having players returning from international duty and the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie coming up on Wednesday, Hodgson and his players will see this as an opportunity to move to within touching distance of safety before the final half-a-dozen games.
Recent form: DLLLLW
Liverpool
© SilverHubLiverpool signed off for the international break with the 5-0 demolition of Watford, a result which kept the club within two points of second-placed Manchester United, but whether their season is perceived to be successful or not could depend on their results in their next four fixtures.
On paper, the visit to Palace is the game which will provide the least relevance to most associated with the Merseyside giants, but Jurgen Klopp will feel that his team need to make a statement ahead of a schedule which sees a derby showdown with Everton at Goodison Park sandwiched in between two matches in Europe against a rampant Man City side.
There is no doubting that Liverpool have made progress this season, but a couple of setbacks between Saturday and April 10 could leave the club facing the prospect of another fourth-place finish in the Premier League and another year without a trophy.
After a period which has seen most of his squad spend time representing their country, Klopp must find a way to balance the use of his players during an unforgiving period, something which could have potentially been made easier had the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino all been given the night off against Porto in the Champions League at the start of the month.
Even with City to come in midweek, it will now take a bold decision from Klopp to rest any of the trio, who have contributed a total of 50 goals in the top flight this season.
Adam Lallana remains a more-than-able deputy in the final third, but the playmaker only managed to get another 30 minutes under his belt while on international duty with England, leaving the 28-year-old with just 207 minutes of football since January 14.
Andrew Robertson has been a revelation at left-back but he, too, has been heavily used recently - by club and country - and Alberto Moreno may be expecting to get a chance to add to his 93 minutes of football since the end of January.
Klopp is not quite at the stage where he must prioritise one competition over another and throughout the season, the German has not been shy in making full use of a talented squad, but Liverpool cannot rely on three players to deliver during a crucial period of the season and Saturday feels like the time where Klopp must show faith to squad members who have needed to remain patient since the club's relatively early exit from the FA Cup.
Recent form: DWWWLW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWDLW
Team News
© OffsideHodgson has suggested that Zaha is a doubt for this weekend's fixture as the winger continues to try to shake off a knee problem.
The Palace boss has also revealed that Tomkins and Alexander Sorloth will need to be assessed ahead of the game, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek is available again after recovering from an ankle injury.
As for Liverpool, Klopp will take a look at the condition of the players who spent time in international action before deciding on his starting lineup.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and James Milner could come in for Joe Gomez and Emre Can after the pair were forced to withdraw from England and Germany duty respectively.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Hennessey; Wan-Bissaka, Sakho, Tomkins, Van Aanholt; Milivojevic, McArthur, Loftus-Cheek; Schlupp, Townsend, Benteke
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Can; Mane, Salah, Firmino
Head To Head
Saturday's match represents just the 52nd competitive meeting between the two sides, with Liverpool claiming 26 victories in comparison to 14 wins for Palace.
However, neither team have been dominant in the most recent clashes, with Palace registering four wins and a draw from their last 10 encounters with Liverpool.
Last season's corresponding fixture ended in a 4-2 triumph for Liverpool, with Can, Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Firmino all getting on the scoresheet.
We say: Crystal Palace 1-3 Liverpool
Palace will be on a high after ending a seven-match winless streak, but this weekend's game represents the first of an important 11 days for Klopp's side and we expect the visitors to Selhurst Park to continue to show a clinical touch in the final third.
