Albion fans will relish the chance to see their favourites play at home to the leaders in the top flight.

And with good reason – because it is a more rare occasion than they might think.

Their visit from Liverpool on Saturday will be only the third time in their history that Albion have played at home to the top team in the country at the time.

The others came against Liverpool in 1982-83 and Aston Villa in 1980-81.

They remained unbeaten in those two games.

This is Albion’s sixth season in the elite but visits from teams at the top of the table have been rare.

They did not happen in 1979-80, 1981-82, 2017-18 or yet in the current campaign.

In December, 1980, Aston Villa had a one-point lead over second-placed Liverpool as they arrived at the Goldstone Ground.

Defeat to a Michael Robinson goal did not prevent Villa going on to win the league, finishing four points clear of Ipswich (when a win was worth two points).

Robinson latched on to a weak Kenny Swain back pass to round Jimmy Rimmer and score the winner.

Graham Moseley preserved the slender lead with super saves from Swain and Gary Shaw.

Then, in March, 1983, Liverpool arrived with a 15-point buffer (by now three points for a win) for a midweek match at relegation-bound Albion.

Robinson and Gary Howlett, on his full debut, put Albion 2-0 up before an Ian Rush double secured a 2-2 draw for Liverpool, who went on to win the title by 11 points from Watford.

But what of the other top-tier seasons?

In 1979-80, Liverpool were third, three points behind leaders Manchester United with a game in hand, when they won 3-1 at the Goldstone in early November.

The Anfield outfit went on to win the title.

United had been knocked off top spot by the time they arrived in Hove in March.

In 1981-82, Liverpool again won the league but were eighth, one place below Albion, when they arrived in Hove for a 3-3 draw in October.

Ipswich were top at the time but did not play at the Goldstone until the final game of the season.

By that time, Bobby Robson’s men had settled for second place.

Last season, long-time leaders Manchester City visited the Amex in the first game of the season.

Not even Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking team could be top of the table before they had even kicked a ball. Huddersfield were actually top when the City game started at 5.30pm, courtesy of their 3-0 win at Crystal Palace in a 3pm kick-off.