The Englishman Taylor is set to officiate the PSG-Barcelona match once more

The referee set to blow the whistle this Wednesday for FC Barcelona’s first leg against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium has been revealed. This match is filled with tension following the French ultras’ recent statement against Barça and the alleged refereeing bias.

The responsibility falls on the 45-year-old British referee Anthony Taylor, who has been officiating in the Premier League since 2010 and internationally since 2013.

Known as one of the top referees in the English league, as well as UEFA and FIFA, Taylor previously officiated the Europa League final where Sevilla emerged victorious against José Mourinho’s Roma. He was also selected by FIFA for the Club World Cup final between Real Madrid and Al Hilal in February 2023, resulting in a win for Real Madrid.

Having officiated at the last World Cup in Qatar, Taylor refereed two group stage matches. He was also the referee for the Nations League final where Spain lost to France due to Kilian Mbappé’s controversial goal.

Taylor’s presence has been linked to success for Spanish teams this season. He has officiated three Champions League matches involving Spanish teams, including Barcelona’s 0-1 win against Porto, Real Sociedad’s 3-1 victory over Benfica, and Atlético de Madrid’s 1-3 win against Feyenoord. This will be the second time he referees the Barcelona-PSG match, having done so in the 2021 round of 16 where Barcelona tied 1-1 and were eliminated.

PSG has never lost when Taylor has been the referee. This will be the fifth time he officiates a Barcelona match, with one win against Porto, two draws, and one defeat, which happened in October 2022 against Bayern Munich.

It will be the seventh time that he will referee a match between the French and English teams, and so far, the French have never lost to the English. The record stands at five wins and one draw. The last time he officiated a game was in September 2022 at his home stadium, where the French team secured a 2-1 victory against Juventus. The draw was specifically against the Barça team. David Coote will be in charge of the VAR.

This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper