It will be Roy Hodgson's first encounter against Liverpool since the club sacked him three months ago as Liverpool prepare to visit West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
While it seems like a normal Premier League clash between West Brom and Liverpool, there is something else that is providing all the personification as both teams seek to continue their revival towards the end of the season. Roy Hodgson will be facing his former employers, Liverpool who sacked him in January after only six months into the job.
Hodgson's time at Liverpool was never a satisfying or a productive one. Having guided Fulham to new heights in the previous season, lots of aspects were expected from the widely-travelled Hodgson.
However, there wasn't any sort of inspiring moment for the KOP fan to acknowledge and it always seemed that things were never going to materialize for him at Anfield. Consequently, he was sacked from his position, much to the pleasure of their suffering fans.
As he prepares to host his former club on Saturday, questions after questions have popped up regarding his indifferent spell with the Reds. Is there anything for him to prove on Saturday? Is there any extra motivation for him and West Brom to win the clash?
According to Kenny Dalglish, Roy Hodgson had always displayed enthusiasm and motivation while he was with Liverpool and that there is nothing for him to prove when both managers face-off this weekend.
"Roy hasn't got anything to prove to anybody," Dalglish told reporters. "If you say he has extra motivation then you are doubting the man's integrity and implying he never had enough motivation before.
"It's Liverpool versus West Brom and we'll face a team that has been prepared by Roy. I don't have a problem with that. It'll be nice to see him again."
He added: "West Brom were tough to beat here when Roberto [Di Matteo] was in charge. They played very well here. We won 1-0 but it was a very difficult game.
"Roy brings his own management style to the club and they have done well since he went in there. We are looking forward to the game and it will be nice to see Roy again.
"I have great respect for him as I said when I came in here and that isn't going to change now that we are playing against each other.
"So for me, the game is about Liverpool against West Brom and that's the way I'll go into it. I'll see an old friend of mine standing in the opposite dugout.
"Everyone knows he's an excellent coach so we know what to expect. We know how they will play so it's up to us to be better than them on the day."
Roy's arrival at Liverpool was already difficult from the beginning after Javier Mascherano was embroiled in a transfer request to Barcelona. His departure imminently marked a great loss for an already depleted side.
Limited funds were provided to him and signings like Poulsen and Konchesky never really raised any sort of high hopes among the fans and while he did bring in a quality player in Raul Meireles, the Portuguese star never looked comfortable within the team. It was only after Dalglish's arrival that he began to show his true potentials.
Basically, the Anfield faithfuls never really gave him a chance to establish himself although it became increasing justified as time progressed. It always looked as though Hodgson was the man for teams looking perform highly rather than for a team born to perform highly.
Nonetheless, Roy Hodgson is a man with his own identity, his own integrity and most importantly, his own footballing prophecy. While many expect Roy Hodgson to be motivated by other reasons on Saturday, his experience will always speak for himself and ultimately, he only has to prove to the West Bromwich Albion fans.
As for match itself, it is already bearing the look of a David Vs Goliath encounter. However, do not count Mr. Hodgson out of this. After all, he was the mastermind behind Fulham's trashing of Juventus at Craven Cottage sometime ago.
Hodgson's time at Liverpool was never a satisfying or a productive one. Having guided Fulham to new heights in the previous season, lots of aspects were expected from the widely-travelled Hodgson.
However, there wasn't any sort of inspiring moment for the KOP fan to acknowledge and it always seemed that things were never going to materialize for him at Anfield. Consequently, he was sacked from his position, much to the pleasure of their suffering fans.
As he prepares to host his former club on Saturday, questions after questions have popped up regarding his indifferent spell with the Reds. Is there anything for him to prove on Saturday? Is there any extra motivation for him and West Brom to win the clash?
According to Kenny Dalglish, Roy Hodgson had always displayed enthusiasm and motivation while he was with Liverpool and that there is nothing for him to prove when both managers face-off this weekend.
"Roy hasn't got anything to prove to anybody," Dalglish told reporters. "If you say he has extra motivation then you are doubting the man's integrity and implying he never had enough motivation before.
"It's Liverpool versus West Brom and we'll face a team that has been prepared by Roy. I don't have a problem with that. It'll be nice to see him again."
He added: "West Brom were tough to beat here when Roberto [Di Matteo] was in charge. They played very well here. We won 1-0 but it was a very difficult game.
"Roy brings his own management style to the club and they have done well since he went in there. We are looking forward to the game and it will be nice to see Roy again.
"I have great respect for him as I said when I came in here and that isn't going to change now that we are playing against each other.
"So for me, the game is about Liverpool against West Brom and that's the way I'll go into it. I'll see an old friend of mine standing in the opposite dugout.
"Everyone knows he's an excellent coach so we know what to expect. We know how they will play so it's up to us to be better than them on the day."
Roy's arrival at Liverpool was already difficult from the beginning after Javier Mascherano was embroiled in a transfer request to Barcelona. His departure imminently marked a great loss for an already depleted side.
Limited funds were provided to him and signings like Poulsen and Konchesky never really raised any sort of high hopes among the fans and while he did bring in a quality player in Raul Meireles, the Portuguese star never looked comfortable within the team. It was only after Dalglish's arrival that he began to show his true potentials.
Basically, the Anfield faithfuls never really gave him a chance to establish himself although it became increasing justified as time progressed. It always looked as though Hodgson was the man for teams looking perform highly rather than for a team born to perform highly.
Nonetheless, Roy Hodgson is a man with his own identity, his own integrity and most importantly, his own footballing prophecy. While many expect Roy Hodgson to be motivated by other reasons on Saturday, his experience will always speak for himself and ultimately, he only has to prove to the West Bromwich Albion fans.
As for match itself, it is already bearing the look of a David Vs Goliath encounter. However, do not count Mr. Hodgson out of this. After all, he was the mastermind behind Fulham's trashing of Juventus at Craven Cottage sometime ago.
