It's fair to say Liverpool supporters weren't massively enthused when discovering Anthony Taylor will referee next Thursday's big Premier League clash at Manchester City.
That the referee hails from Greater Manchester has not gone unnoticed.
But the real gripe among Reds fans are what they believe are a succession of poor performances from Taylor in games involving their club.
Certainly it didn't help when, taking charge of the Etihad meeting between the sides last season, he opted not to send off Vincent Kompany for a reckless tackle on Mohamed Salah with City going on to win 2-1 - a result that ultimately earned them the title.
On the opening day of that campaign, Taylor accidentally tackled Gini Wijnaldum to almost create an opportunity for West Ham United.
And there have been occasions in the past – most notably at Sunderland in January 2017 – when Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has had a run-in with the whistleblower.
But the truth is Taylor has proven something of a lucky charm for the Reds in recent times.
Since taking charge of the infamous 6-1 defeat at Stoke City in May 2015, he has been referee in 20 games involving Liverpool in which only one other, the 1-0 reverse at Chelsea in May, has been lost.
And in the 38 games in which Taylor has officiated the Reds – including a 2-2 draw at the Etihad in 2013 – they have only lost six.
Indeed, since that loss to City in January 2019, the referee has taken charge of five more Liverpool matches, all of which have been won.
