Barça already knows who will be the referee who will whistle in their Champions duel against Red Sta

FC Barcelona already knows the referee in charge of officiating the match in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League, where they will face Estrella Roja from Belgrade this Wednesday at 9:00 PM at the Rajko Mitić Stadium ('Little Marakana') in Serbian territory.

The UEFA has appointed the 36-year-old Norwegian referee, Espen Eskås, as the one responsible for overseeing the match between the red-and-whites and the Blaugrana. In the VAR, he will be supported by the Italian referee, Marco Di Bello.

Barcelona has not yet had its first experience with Espen Eskås as the referee

For Barcelona, it will be the first time they encounter Espen Eskås, a referee who is part of the UEFA elite group. The Norwegian, a FIFA international referee since 2017, has had few experiences with Spanish teams in his career, five to be exact, most of them favorable, with a margin of three victories: two with the U-17 national team, one in the 2016-17 season (3-1 against Poland in the European qualifiers) and another in 2019 (1-0 against Germany in the Euro); in addition to officiating a victory for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League 2023-24 against Union Berlin (1-0).

However, in Espen Eskås' track record with Spanish teams, there are also two losses, both equally significant. One was in the final of the 2023 U-21 European Championship, where Spain fell to England (1-0), and the other, this time in the women's category, in the semifinals of the Paris Olympic Games against Brazil, resulting in a 4-2 defeat for the reigning world champion and Nations League titleholder.