Liverpool's Champions League referee appointment for crucial Napoli clash is terrible news for Jurgen KloppThe match is a do or die for the Reds - win and they go through but any other outcome spells knockout.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (centre left) and Villarreal manager Marcelino Garcia Toral (centre right) are told to calm down by Referee Damir Skomina (left)
Klopp's side have lost three games in the competition so far - the first time that has ever happened to Liverpool at this stage.
However, they still have the chance to qualify in a match being marshaled by Damir Skomina.
That referee appointment for the Reds in the past has not been favourable.
The first Liverpool match Skomina ever took charge of was in December 2009 when the then manager Rafael Benitez welcomed Fiorentina to Anfield.
It ended in a 2-1 defeat for the home side and ended up capping off a disappointing Champions League campaign from which Liverpool did not make the last 16.
Fast forward five years to the 2015/16 season when Liverpool were in the Europa League and Skomina was selected as the man in the middle for the second leg of their last-32 clash with Besiktas.
Brendan Rogers was at the helm and the Northern Irishman took his side to Turkey with a 1-0 aggregate lead.
The Reds lost 1-0 that night before subsequently losing their first European penalty shootout in history to match in brutal fashion.
It was the Europa League again for Liverpool when they were met by Skomina the following season - this time in the first leg of their semi-final match with Villarreal which ended up in a 1-0 loss.
This time though it was Jurgen Klopp at the helm and back at Anfield they put that right with a 3-0 win though couldn't quite make their dominance in the final against Sevilla count.
Skomina was selected to take charge of another Liverpool match last season - the second leg against Roma in the semi-final of the Champions League.
Fourth time lucky? Think again. It was a 4-2 loss for Klopp's side in Italy but fortunately they had already done enough in the first match at Anfield to get into the final.
They are the only Liverpool games the Slovenian referee has been appointed for and while he hasn't made any errors that have led to the Reds being punished - which all referees aim for - it doesn't seem like a good omen.
In short - when Skomina has been the man in the middle, Liverpool have never won - twice including an Italian team.
That is something the Reds will be looking to put right tonight against Napoli in what is guaranteed to be a special and fiery contest at Anfield.
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