Brendan Rodgers will welcome the club he made his name with on Wednesday when Swansea visit Liverpool in the League Cup.
This time last year, Rodgers was working wonders with his Swansea side, punching well above their weight while playing some delightful football. Come Wednesday, Rodgers will feel a little surreal, sitting on the home team's bench, barking instructions at his Liverpool side, and working towards the downfall Swansea.
"I think it's one where you have two hats on," Rodgers said. "The professional hat, first and foremost, says we want to get through to the quarterfinals. We have got an opportunity, playing at Anfield, which is a wonderful stadium, and a chance to progress in the competition.
"Nothing will get in the way of that -- no sentiment gets in the way of wanting to progress to the next round.
"But it's also good to see people. I had some fantastic professional and personal experiences at Swansea City, and the support I got there was unheralded in terms of the city and the people and south Wales in general.
"Of course it's a result I always look out for because they're good people and I always want them to do well.
"But obviously we want to win the game. It's the professional challenge, it's our job to focus and concentrate."
While the League Cup is not exactly a top priority for Liverpool - them being the title holders, they will at least want to make the quarterfinals, with the manager again expected to field a youthful side.
"I said it on the first day I arrived, I'm going to rely on the whole squad," Rodgers said. "For us to compete in as many competitions as we can, we need everyone.
"They have an outstanding group of players who are very honest and work tirelessly, so it will be a difficult game for us. For us, it will be pretty much more of the same -- we'll change the team around.
"Physically there is a big demand on the players, us competing in three competitions. So it's an opportunity for us to bring players into the squad who are working tirelessly every day but obviously they're fresh and fit and ready for the challenge.
"Of course everyone wants to play in the Premier League team but boys like Jordan (Henderson) -- he's a wonderful talent and he's got a great future here. He might not be playing as much as he has done but his appetite, application and willingness to learn and improve has really been fantastic.
"So him and the other guys that are on the outside, of course they're not happy that they're not playing but their attitude and desire to work hard has been incredible. We're a very tight group and that's important."
Swansea are also expected to make changes, a couple of them enforced with injuries to Michel Vorm and Angel Rangel. The Welsh side, if they beat Liverpool, will make history by entering the quarterfinals of the League Cup for the first time in their history.
"There will be changes," Swansea manager Michael Laudrup said. "Obviously a couple of those will be forced with Michel (Vorm) and Angel (Rangel) being ruled out.
"I was very pleased with the performance (against City) of the team. But we lost and deserved much more from the game.
"But it's a huge game for us and Anfield is a wonderful place to play football. If we win we will be in the quarterfinal and that will be a historical moment for the football club. If we can play like that then I'm sure we will get something."
Expected lineups: Liverpool: Jones, Wisdom, Carragher, Coates, Enrique, Henderson, Allen, Shelvey, Assaidi, Downing, Yesil.
Swansea: Tremmel, Tiendalli, Monk, Williams, Davies, Britton, Ki, Gower, Routledge, Michu, Graham.
Prediction: 1-0 to Liverpool
