And so Liverpool’s High Noon arrives at 7.45 on a Saturday night against a distinguished and beloved former manager, Rafa Benitez, and at a club, Newcastle United, whose own long wait for a title was sabotaged at Anfield in 1996. There are a few storylines here.

Jurgen Klopp is a bit too relaxed to convince as Gary Cooper and it is not exactly a shoot-out – Newcastle are safe from relegation and are far from a gung-ho, attacking team under Benitez.

But the stakes are high for Liverpool: they may not be able to win a first league title since 1990 tonight, but they can, effectively, lose it.

Considering this and that Liverpool returned from Barcelona with a 3-0 deficit in the semi-final of the Champions League – they are therefore staring at the possibility of ending a progressive and, at times, pulsating season trophyless – Klopp was whistling an upbeat tune yesterday.

“The boys are completely on fire,” he said. “When you are in a race and you see you can win it, you don’t get tired.

“We are ambitious, like hell.”

It sounded like fighting talk until Klopp added: “But we still know it is not 100 per cent in our hands. The only thing we can do is to beat Newcastle and that is unbelievably difficult. That is our problem.”

This description of Newcastle is a generous one. Benitez’s side not only lost their first five home games of the season, they did not win anywhere until November. Since then they have lost four more at St. James’ Park in the Premier League, so it would be a stretch to call the place a fortress.

Liverpool, moreover, put four past Newcastle on Boxing Day at Anfield without reply, and as it was the same day Manchester City lost at Leicester, it was the first occasion when Red men began to believe this might be at last the season when Liverpool could again call themselves champions of England.

Liverpool’s lead over City was seven points that afternoon. Today City’s advantage is one point and a better goal difference of +4.

Should Liverpool lose at Newcastle, City would move four points clear with a win over Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester side on Monday night. Pep Guardiola’s team would retain their title.

So this is a moment. As Liverpool manager in 2008-09, Benitez knows what it is like to have a season of advance and yet not lift the ultimate prize. Ten years ago his team accumulated 86 points, won 10 of their last 11 matches and still fell short of Manchester United. He was reminded of that yesterday, which is perhaps why he will not be too harsh on Klopp should Liverpool come second again.

“They're one of the best teams, not just in Europe, but one of the best in the world,” Benitez said of Liverpool. “They haven't won a trophy but there are so many strong teams, that can happen.”

A danger for Liverpool tonight comes from the steady improvement in Benitez’s team over the second half of the season. For a squad assembled comparatively cheaply, Newcastle have evolved into a coherent unit.

They have had only a couple of stand-out results – coming from 2-0 down to beat Everton at St. James’ in March is one of them. That the other came against Manchester City at the end of January shows Newcastle are capable of upsets.

As with Everton, it was a victory scrapped for when defeat looked likely. Newcastle were 1-0 down but won 2-1 late on amid an increasingly frenzied atmosphere. It has turned out to be City’s last loss in the league.

Benitez revealed yesterday that from Merseyside he received a photograph on his phone of a message written in the snow of a Liverpool street. “Ta Rafa”, it read.

The 59-year-old Spaniard was smiling and spoke further of the ongoing mutual affection, which has made some question Benitez’s motivation. His family home remains on the Wirral.

“I feel the Liverpool fans, they love me because we won the Champions League in Istanbul, we won four trophies and were in three finals and also the way we were defending the club against [the Establishment],” Benitez said, swiftly mentioning a 4-1 win at Old Trafford.

He knows how to work an audience.

So does Klopp, though one of his instructions this evening will be to ensure the atmosphere which built during the City game is not allowed to mushroom again.

That will be easier said than done on a Saturday night on Tyneside in a stadium sold out for weeks, when there will be those who recall Newcastle’s loss at Anfield in 1996, and the delirium of the Kop.

Benitez or not, they will be more than happy to see Liverpool suffer.