One way or another, it will be a traumatic night for Liverpool on Wednesday when they visit Turin's Stadio Delle Alpi.
Not only is it almost certain that last week's efforts at reconciliation will be thrown back in Merseyside faces, but on the pitch there is a good chance Liverpool's European dream will evaporate.
The visit of Juventus to Anfield last week marked the first meeting of the two sides since 1985's ill-fated European Cup final, when stampeding hooligans and the crumbling Heysel stadium combined to claim the lives of 39 people, most of whom were Italian followers of the club.
In a heartfelt effort to make amends, the city of Liverpool mobilised.
The club, the fans, the Mayor and the Liverpool Echo did much in the days preceding last week's Champions League quarter-final first-leg to express remorse and foster a spirit of contrite respect.
While some travelling supporters applauded the banners of friendship paraded before them in the Anfield Road stand, others turned their backs and made obscene gestures. For them it amounted to far too little, far too late.
The warm welcome the travelling supporters from Turin were afforded last week will not be replicated for the estimated 4,000 Liverpool fans heading to the second-leg in Italy.
In fact, Italian police have warned Liverpool fans against wearing their club colours and urged them to stay in designated areas. Rick Parry, the club's chief executive, has called on fans not to sing, chant, or display flags in areas of the city set aside for them.
Threatening messages have been circulated over the internet and Juve's various Ultras, groups like the Black and White Fighters and the Drughi, have ensured that a tense, acrimonious and menacing atmosphere will pervade.
Of course, that is not to say that every single Juventus fan is an Ultra bent on exacting revenge, but there is a definite risk and the Italian police will be on 'maximum alert'.
'We will hand Liverpool fans a pamphlet welcoming them to the city and asking them to remain together,' said Giuseppe Petronzi, head of the Digos police division, an Italian special force in charge of high security alerts.
'We want them to walk in the main roads of the city and not to frequent areas in the outskirts where it is more difficult to protect them. We want them to avoid using any exaggerated banners and to try not to react to any provocation'.
It doesn't sound too warm and hospitable does it? And by way of a warm-up tear gas was required to break-up pre-match hostilities on Saturday ahead of Juventus' away clash with bitter rivals Fiorentina.
On the pitch things don't get much better. Fabio Cannavaro's away goal at Anfield gave Juventus the belief that they could overturn Liverpool's 2-1 lead. Now, after learning that Steven Gerrard has been ruled out, they will be champing at the bit.
While Gerrard's performance in the first-leg was solid rather than spectacular, his absence will be telling. Such is the presence of the Liverpool captain that the oft-bandied 'talisman' label is for once accurate.
Gerrard manages to drag performances out of team-mates whose skills don't merit them; he leads by example with his energy and fighting spirit, and his goals are an effective 'get out of jail free card'. Who can fill his boots?
Without Dietmar Hamann, Xabi Alonso could be in the starting line-up despite having played just 45 minutes of a reserve game since breaking his ankle on New Years' Day.
There could also be a significant role for either Valdimir Smicer or Igor Biscan. This much-maligned duo are not without their strengths, it's just that they suffer by comparison to Gerrard.
If Liverpool are to have any chance they'll need huge performances from Milan Baros and Sami Hyypia, who should be sent forward for ever free kick and corner.
The only good news for Liverpool is that Djibril Cisse will travel to Turin, and could even feature late-on if the Reds need a goal - Cisse's return just seven months after breaking his leg is remarkable, particularly so as the player feared at one stage his injury so bad that amputation was likely.
So far this season European football has suited Liverpool. The measured style of play favoured by many in the Champions League allows Rafael Benitez's team that rare luxury in football: time on the ball.
In the Premiership his players have been guilty of playing poor passes, being caught in possession and making bad decisions, generally because they are under unrelenting pressure.
In Europe, Liverpool's players have used this extra time on the ball to good effect, and upped the tempo to exploit their opponents' unfamiliarity with unsubtle Premiership power-plays.
A perfect example of this was seen last week when for 60 minutes at Anfield Liverpool won every tackle and every 50-50 ball.
However, in the last half-hour Liverpool were a spent force and just about managed to cling on as Juve's greater patience and skill shone out - and the pattern of that last half-an-hour is likely to be replicated throughout Wednesday's game.
David Trezeguet will be missing due to injury, but the pairing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alessandro del Piero will pose more than enough of a goal threat; then consider players like Nedved and Camoranesi in the middle and Tacchinardi and Cannavaro at the back.
Quite simply, an under-strength Liverpool will struggle to compete against Juventus for 90-minutes.
There is no disgrace in losing in a quarter-final of the Champions League - Manchester United and Arsenal would gladly swap places. The real heartbreak for Liverpool will be if both their efforts at reconciliation and 2-1 first-leg lead come to nothing in Turin's smoke-filled Calderon.