Barcelona’s trip to Paris, Villarreal’s return to Anfield and Atlético Madrid’s visit to Stuttgart will each be overseen by a different experienced referee as the next Champions League matchday brings familiar European memories back into view.
Officials appointed for Spanish clubs
- England’s Michael Oliver will take charge of Barcelona’s match against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.
- Polish referee Szymon Marciniak has been appointed for Villarreal’s away fixture with Liverpool at Anfield.
- Serdar Gözübüyük of the Netherlands will referee Atlético Madrid’s game at Stuttgart.
Barcelona return to a difficult Oliver precedent
Oliver, 41, has previously handled Barcelona matches on five occasions. The available record from those meetings includes one win, one draw and two defeats for the Catalan side.
- His latest Barcelona assignment came during last season’s Champions League group stage.
- Barcelona were beaten 2-1 at home by Paris Saint-Germain in that match.
- The same opponents now await in Paris, with PSG arriving as reigning European champions.
Barcelona’s wider record in matches refereed by Oliver against PSG stands at four victories, one draw and one loss.
Marciniak’s Anfield history with Villarreal
Marciniak, 45, will referee Villarreal for the fourth time. The Spanish club’s previous results under the Pole consist of one victory, one draw and one defeat.
- The first meeting came in the 2014-15 Europa League campaign.
- Two further appointments followed in the 2021-22 Champions League, both in knockout football.
- The most recent was the first leg of Villarreal’s semi-final against Liverpool, when they lost 2-0 in England.
Liverpool have been refereed by Marciniak seven times, winning five of those games and losing the other two. Villarreal therefore return to Anfield with the official from a painful European night in their recent past.
Gözübüyük meets Stuttgart for the first time
Atlético have had Gözübüyük in charge three times, recording two wins and one defeat. Among those matches was last season’s Champions League round-of-16 first leg against Tottenham, a 5-2 Atlético victory.
The Stuttgart fixture will be Gözübüyük’s first match involving the German club, adding a fresh officiating connection to Atlético’s latest European away test.
