Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are gearing up for a pivotal two-legged tie against Villarreal with a place in European final at stake - this is not unfamiliar territory.
The two teams have met at the same stage before, only the stakes were a tad lower given their 2016 clash in the Europa League while this season's will determine who reaches the Champions League final.
That's not to suggest the meeting six years ago was anything less than fiery, as tempers flared both on the pitch and in the technical areas.
Villarreal had toppled Liverpool in the first leg with a surprise 1-0 victory, which in turn prompted some wild celebrations from the Yellow Submarines squad and staff - including then-manager Marcelino Garcia Toral, who ran onto the pitch arms in the air as if the tie was won there and then.
The jubilant scenes did not simmer come full-time as Villarreal made sure their dressing room celebrations were within earshot of their Liverpool counterparts. Marcelino even carried the over the top celebrations on into his post-match presser.
The Villarreal boss explained how the first-leg victory marked "a deserved victory, an unforgettable night...we’re fortunate to have been able to live a night that every professional dreams of". Klopp, unsurprisingly, was less than best pleased with the conduct of the Spaniards.
After the game, the Reds boss claimed: "My first thought when everyone was celebrating around me was, 'Sorry, but it is not over, you have to come to Anfield’." He echoed a similar sentiment in the build-up to the return leg in Merseyside.
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Pressed on whether Villarreal's antics had provided Liverpool with extra motivation, Klopp conceded: "It’s more about when my colleague (Marcelino) said after the game that 1-0 was the result he dreamed of... then it is like this. If we can create a similar atmosphere as Dortmund (in the previous round) then it will be much more difficult for Villarreal than they imagine."
While Marcelino claimed the atmosphere would actually spur his side on, Liverpool overturned the deficit and eventually ran out 3-0 victors courtesy of an own goal from Bruno Soriano before both Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana netted in the second half. And how the tables turned post-match.
The game itself saw the two managers exchange verbal blows with each other from near enough the first whistle as they appealed every single decision in favour of their respective sides. After being dumped out, Marcelino was less than gracious in defeat.
"Klopp is how he is," the Villarreal boss bemoaned. "A great coach but in regards to the rest, I wouldn’t want to be like him. Today he went too far with his celebrations.
"We all have different personalities and that’s the way he is. Liverpool pressed us tremendously and when they gave us a kick or a shove, the ref said ‘play on’ so it was very difficult. It was tough against an opponent playing with such a high tempo on the margins of the rules."
The Liverpool manager gave as good as he got, angrily responding: "I wouldn’t want to be him for even one second of my life and I repeat, he’s a great coach."
Things are expected to be a lot more harmonious when Klopp faces off with current Villarreal manager Unai Emery for the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday evening, but the pressure of European football can bring out the ugly in everyone.
