He may have scored against them in the Community Shield in late July, but Trent Alexander-Arnold hasn't recently had much luck when it comes to Manchester City.
No-one at Liverpool has really, when you consider that a superb City have pipped them to two Premier League titles in seasons when the Reds' points tally would usually be enough to win the league, but Alexander-Arnold has been pained by them more than most.
The right-back missed last season's clash with Pep Guardiola's outfit at Anfield - that game with the ridiculous Mo Salah goal - with an adductor muscle injury, with James Milner replacing him at right-back and engaging in tussles which Phil Foden which somehow ended with the veteran only receiving a yellow card and nothing more.
The previous season, that soulless one played almost entirely behind closed doors, Alexander-Arnold limped off with a calf injury at the Etihad that prompted a furious rant about the demands placed on players in the post-match press conference... from Pep Guardiola.
City fans would no doubt tell you that Alexander-Arnold used up all his luck against them in a November 2019 match, a pivotal one in Liverpool's Premier League winning season, when he escaped censure for a handball in the penalty area before the Reds broke up the other end of the pitch and Fabinho crashed home the opening goal from 25 yards.
Two seasons prior to that all eyes were on the right-back, then aged 19, as he went head-to-head with City's Leroy Sane, very much the man of the moment, in a Champions League quarter-final.
Having missed the 4-3 league win in January many predictions were made of Alexander-Arnold's demise in the face of the German's pace and power, but he stood up superbly.
And as the Liverpool right-back enjoyed his highs and endured his lows, there was one man who was usually in the vicinity.
Joe Gomez was an unused substitute for the Community Shield in the summer, he came on for right-back Milner in that 2-2 Anfield draw last season and, with Virgil van Dijk out, he was at centre-back alongside Joel Matip for the Etihad draw when Alexander-Arnold limped off. He then went off to England duty and suffered the serious knee injury that ended his season.
Prior to that he came on as a substitute in that 3-1 Anfield victory in 2019, and he replaced Alexander-Arnold at right-back for the riotous 4-3 win in early 2018.
He's been around a long time has Gomez, who is now in his eighth season in the Liverpool first-team, a tally only Jordan Henderson can better, and although some of those campaigns have been vastly reduced due to injuries, he's proven himself to be a more than useful member of Jurgen Klopp's squad when he has been available.
He'll be deputising for Alexander-Arnold again when City come calling to Anfield on Sunday, and while right-back isn't his favoured position - Gomez was, of course, the first choice next to Van Dijk at centre-back when Liverpool won the league - he is more than capable of doing a fine job in the position and up against Foden, a player who has developed a fondness for facing Liverpool in the recent past.
The many critics of Alexander-Arnold would probably state that Liverpool will be in better hands with Gomez at right-back due to his more natural defensive capabilities, but he showed his attacking prowess can match his teammate's in terms of output during the trip to Glasgow in midweek.
Liverpool and Salah may have ran away with the game in the end, but it still stood at 1-1 when Gomez raided down the right and put in a superb low ball for Roberto Firmino to crash home his second goal.
It was Liverpool's first assist from the right-back position all season, with Alexander-Arnold failing to register one in his first eight league games of this campaign or in the last five of 2021-22.
Gomez, who also put in a superb cross for Diogo Jota to score against Watford last season, won't be the most glamorous of full-backs on show on Sunday as Liverpool welcome back Andy Robertson and City of course have Joao Cancelo, but he could certainly be an effective and unexpected weapon for the Reds as he plays in a position he has plenty of experience in.
The injuries to Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz will surely cause Klopp to be a little more pragmatic with the sometimes reckless formation he has been deploying of late, but that could play into Gomez's strengths as he enjoys a more structured midfield around him, perhaps with Henderson just ahead of him and Fabinho inside.
Next to him will be Ibrahima Konate, and the Frenchman's speed is another positive for Gomez who will be confident that he has a teammate on the cover when he raids forward.
He might just be a key player in the game, with the potential for space behind Cancelo if he plays on the City left, and Firmino and Darwin Nunez both good in the air and with their feet for a cross into the box.
Nobody may suspect him, but with the luckless Alexander-Arnold out this could be a game for Gomez to shine as he comes in from the shadows once more.
