There was a time when Nottingham Forest and Liverpool were the bitterest of rivals.
Even when Liverpool were sweeping all before them during the 1970s, Brian Clough's Forest remained a thorn in their side, not least when they knocked them out in the first round of the European Cup in 1978.
But by the time of their most recent encounter, some time ago now in April 1999, relations between the two teams had thawed considerably.
The indescribable horror of the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989, when Forest supporters watched on in shock as 97 Liverpool fans were crushed to death at the Leppings Lane End, forged a mutual respect.
A delegation of Forest fans this week visited the Hillsborough memorial at Anfield to lay a floral tribute ahead of this Sunday's eagerly-anticipated FA Cup quarter-final, the first meeting of the clubs in 23 years.
It's also fair to say that since that 2-2 draw at the City Ground on April 5, 1999, these two great clubs have been on very different trajectories.
While Liverpool have been regulars at the top end of the Premier League and have twice won the Champions League since that time, Forest have been unable to get back to the big-time, even dropping down to League One for a time.
Only now, at long last, does it look like Forest may be on the brink of a return under their impressive manager Steve Cooper and the tie with Liverpool could be just a foretaste of occasions to come.
Forest were absolutely abysmal in that 1998-99 season and the last-minute draw they salvaged against Liverpool, thanks to Pierre Van Hooijdonk's free-kick, was a rare bright point en route to relegation.
Gerard Houllier's Liverpool were hardly setting the Premier League alight, eventually finishing seventh, which was two places shy even of the Intertoto Cup.
There was a vast gulf at that time between themselves and Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, who won the Treble, and even the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United.
But better things weren't too far away. An 18-year-old Michael Owen, who scored one of his classic goals that afternoon by the Trent, offered optimism for the future.
On that day, however, Owen was very much overshadowed by his strike partner Robbie Fowler.
Two days earlier, in the Merseyside derby win over Everton, Fowler had celebrated a goal by using the white line of the penalty area to simulate cocaine snorting.
Fowler would claim that Everton fans had taunted him with false accusations of drug use and this was his response. He would be fined £60,000 by Liverpool for that celebration and banned for four matches by the FA.
In a sign that his antics had achieved 'cut-through' with the wider footballing public, Fowler was loudly jeered when substituted for a fresh-faced Steven Gerrard 12 minutes from time.
Houllier backed his striker afterwards, however, saying: 'I believe in Robbie Fowler and I am supportive of him. He understands now that it was not the right way for him to celebrate a goal.
'As a professional and high-profile player, he has to put up with the type of abuse he got at Everton and not react in the way he did.'
Fowler scored 18 times for Liverpool that season and Houllier certainly needed him but the remarkable emergence of teenager Owen relieved some of that burden.
Owen had burst onto the scene the previous season, the next great hope of English football, and having stunned Argentina at the World Cup in France, he scored a further 23 goals in 1998-99.
One of those put Liverpool ahead for the second time at the City Ground and it was classic Owen, chesting down a Jamie Redknapp ball, scampering through on goal and finishing with composure.
Redknapp had rifled in a stunning goal from 25 yards to hand Liverpool a 15th-minute lead but Ron Atkinson's Forest were up for the scrap and levelled on the hour with Dougie Freedman capitalised on hesitation from Paul Ince and Reds keeper David James.
Forest had been expected to fold when Owen restored Liverpool's lead but in the first minute of stoppage time, after captain Ince was harshly penalised for handball.
Van Hooijdonk, who a few months earlier had gone on strike after Forest failed to back up their Premier League promotion with squad investment, produced a dipping shot that flashed beyond James.
It was one of the Dutchman's few memorable moments in a season that saw him vilified by his own fans, remaining in the side because of a lack of scoring alternatives.
The 2-2 draw was a poor outcome for Liverpool, especially after leading the contest twice.
To put it into context how poor Forest were, Man United had visited a couple of months earlier and beat them 8-1. The point they gained against Liverpool was the only one out of 15 available that April.
Their supporters protested for an hour post-match in the stadium car park, fed up of frugal ownership and the club's long-lamented decline from the Clough glory years.
Little did those fans know how much misery awaited them. But as they finally lock horns with Liverpool again, they can maybe start to believe the corner has been turned.