Ajax must beat Liverpool in Wednesday's interesting encounter at the Johann Cruyff Arena in order to keep their Champions League hopes alive, while a point would be good enough to see the injury-ridden Reds to qualify for the next round.
The Reds have produced several lacklustre displays this season, but their defeat at relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest over the weekend was arguably their worst.
After hammering Rangers at Ibrox and two battle-hardened wins against defending Premier League champions Manchester City and West Ham, one could be forgiven for thinking that they are back on track, but they somehow managed to lose against bottom-placed Forest despite boasting lion's share of possession.
Regardless, they have fared better in the Champions League. Following a 4-1 defeat to Napoli in Group A, Jurgen Klopp's troops have responded with three consecutive victories, putting them in great position to qualify for the knockout stages.
Ajax, meanwhile, aren't pulling any trees and are in a transitional phase. They come into this encounter with a six-point deficit over their opponents, having suffered back-to-back crushing defeats at the hands of Napoli, leaking a whopping 10 goals in the process.
Liverpool won the reverse fixture 2-1 at Anfield last month and should be confident of earning a favourable outcome here.
Ajax vs Liverpool confirmed lineups
Ajax XI (4-3-3): Pasveer; Sanchez, Timber, Bassey, Blind; Alvarez, Berghuis, Klaassen; Bergwijn, Tadic, Brobbey
Liverpool XI (4-4-2): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Salah, Fabinho, Henderson, Elliott; Firmino, Nunez.
Ajax vs Liverpool LIVE updates
Liverpool's upcoming fixtures
Liverpool have had a nightmare start to their domestic campaign, with only 16 points from 11 games. They have looked like a shadow of their former selves, but they may be able to count on positive results in Europe and the fact that they just need to avoid defeat here.
However, missing the likes of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz does not bode well for Jurgen Klopp's side. After this, they return to Premier League action at home against historic rivals Leeds United before rounding off their Champions League group stage campaign by hosting a rampant Napoli side.