Shrewsbury manager Steve Cotterill will allow himself time to soak up the sense of occasion at Anfield on Sunday and nobody can blame him after surviving 49 days in hospital fighting for his life against Covid.
'I want to make sure I am in that technical area early enough to sample the unique atmosphere at Liverpool,' says the 57-year-old who had been frightened to fall asleep in intensive care in case he never woke up again.
'It'll be my first time at Anfield as a manager. Liverpool are one of the great clubs. I watched them from my grandad's sofa winning the European Cup with the Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness. It's going to be special.'
Shrewsbury manager Steve Cotterill was seriously ill with COVID-19 a year ago
Cotterill first fell seriously ill a year ago and spent two separate spells in hospital until March.
Football isn't a sentimental business but Shrewsbury's League One players will be particularly fired up on behalf of their manager who remarkably continued to try to help the team during his own darkest days.
'When he felt well enough, he was on the speaker phone, using every ounce of energy he had left from the fighting the virus to spur us on,' says defender Matthew Pennington.
'It showed us exactly what he's like. He loves his football and even when he was struggling with his own health, he was trying to help the boys out to try and stay in the league, which we did.'
Cotterill lost a stone and a half and struggled to breathe after testing positive in January
The 57-year-old admitted he'd often still be wearing an oxygen mask when making notes
Cotterill admits he'd often still be wearing an oxygen mask when making notes about what to say.
'I slept very little for weeks because of the amount of steroids I was having to take. I'd wake up after a doze and write some things down.
'It was tiring but it helped me. It gave me focus. The only time I couldn't help out was when I was in intensive care. Then it had to be: 'You have to get on with it yourself boys.'
'The rest of the time, I did what I could. It stimulated me and how the players responded, I owed it to them as well.'
Cotterill struggled to breathe and sleep and had two separate spells in hospital last year
The 57-year-old has since become a strong advocate for vaccinations and mask-wearing
Cotterill has since become a strong advocate for vaccinations and mask-wearing. He can't forget how close Covid came to taking his life.
'I was a bit scared to go to sleep one night,' he admits. 'The following night, I felt so
