The clash between AC Milan and city rivals Inter might have drawn the most attention for footballing reasons but the Champions League quarter-final between Liverpool and Juventus offers a poignant opportunity to commemorate one of the game's great tragedies.
Both clubs have vowed to use the tie to mark the 20th anniversary of the Heysel disaster in an 'appropriate and dignified' manner.
That horrific night claimed the lives of 39 supporters, the majority of whom were Italian, when a wall in the decrepit Brussels stadium gave way.
Any bitterness towards Liverpool from Turin, for their supporters' charge which led to the wall collapsing, has long since passed and those killed on May 29, 1985, will be remembered at both Anfield on April 5 and in the return leg the following week.
The wearing of black armbands by players and a minute's silence, traditional ways of paying respect in the sport, are almost inevitable but there also appears a desire to find a more wide comprehensive remembrance.
"It is a case of finding the most appropriate manner, I am not going to speculate at the moment what that might be, but it will be fitting and one which will involve the supporters," said Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry. "That is prominent in our minds."
"Whatever we do will be low-key and dignified because it is clearly the football which comes first and foremost.
"It will be the chance for both sets of supporters to show we have come a long way in 20 years. We have the chance to bond further; in the past we have talked about pre-season friendlies or matches to mark the occasion and for whatever reason they have not happened."
Juventus director Romy Gai, who has got to know Parry in UEFA meetings over the past few years, suggested it was a chance to look forward for football in general.
"The most important thing is to leave a great football day, share a friendship flag, shake hands and embrace each other," he said.
"We cannot forget but we can celebrate looking at the future not the past, we need to invent something to remember. It will be a great day for Italian and English football, and for the entire world of football.
"It will be emotional - but in a positive way."
