The UEFA already has announced who will be the referee commissioned to carry the reins in the commitment between the FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, that will carry out next Tuesday 16 April in the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys of the City Condal. This meeting will determine one of the combined classified for the 'semis' of the UEFA Champions League. The judge designated for this clash will be Istvan Kovacs, of 39 years of age, the one who at present forms part of the group elite of referees of the UEFA. Besides, the German Marco Fritz will be to charge of the VAR.
This referee, of wide experience, since it has directed a total of 507 meetings up to now, only has arbitrated to the FC Barcelona in an occasion. This duel took place in the season 2021-22, specifically on 17 February 2022, when the Romanian was the main judge in the crossing between the Barça and the Naples in the intermediate round of the Europe League. The clash finished 1-1 in the Spotify Camp Nou and there were not a lot of referee's incidences, apart from a maximum penalty signalled in favour of the culés, that went totally justified by a hand of Juan Jesús in the area.
Regarding Paris Saint-Germain, Kovacs also has arbitrated it in two occasions, with a balance of a victory and a defeat for the Parisian cast. This reverse still is cool in the memory of the PSG, since it occurred in this season 2023-24, on 4 October 2023, in a party of phase of groups against the Newcastle United that finished 4-1 in favour of the 'Urracas'. To find the previous antecedent to this meeting, it is necessary to trace back to the course 2019-20, on 11 December 2019, when the French him asestaron a 'manita' to the Galatasaray by 5-0.
How it has gone him to the Spanish teams in this season in Europe with Kovacs like referee?
It is necessary to stand out that this will be the seventh meeting that Istvan Kovacs pitará in European competition in this season, having directed five commitments of the Champions League, two of which involved to Spanish groups: the Arsenal-Seville in the phase of groups, that finished 2-0 in favour of the 'Gunners', and the Inter of Milan-Athletic of Madrid of the gone of the eighth of final, that finalised 1-0 in favour of the 'Nerazzurri'. The another crossing, that carried out in the Europe League, also had a combined Spanish in the field, the Villarreal in front of the Marseilles, that finalised 3-1 in favour of the 'Yellow Submarine'.