This Tuesday, in the first leg of the Champions League 2024-2025 semi-final (return on May 7), Paris Saint-Germain take on Arsenal at Emirates Stadium (kick-off 9pm, CET). The referee for the match is Slavko Vincic (45). He has a wealth of experience in the Champions League, with 40 matches to his name.
The man with the whistle will be assisted by Tomaz Klancnik. The 4th referee will be Matej Jug. Video assistance will be provided by Alen Borosak and Dennis Higler.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Vincic on the whistle, we can expect yellow cards to be issued fairly quickly during the match. Indeed, while the French average per game is 3.53 (standard deviation 0.39), Tuesday’s referee has given an average of 4.03 yellows per game in his entire Ligue 1 career (Transfermarkt figures). Let’s hope we’re not forgetting dialogue and “management”.
Direct red cards –
The man on the whistle this Tuesday is much more lenient when it comes to direct red cards. Indeed, Vincic’s career total is 0.05 exclusions per match, whereas the French average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation 0.07). We can therefore hope that the cautions serve to keep a match often free of bad gestures or behavior. Unless it’s a case of too great a reluctance to exclude, but that would be surprising at this level.
Second yellow cards –
Slavko Vincic is not in the habit of sending off a player after his first yellow card in a match, as he issued a second warning to the same player an average of 0.03 times per match. This is well below the French average of 0.09 (standard deviation 0.03). With so many yellows and so few reds, it’s easy to see why he rarely takes a player out of the match.
Penalties –
Finally, when it comes to penalties, the man with the whistle on Tuesday is well below the French average with 0.10 penalties whistled per match, whereas in Ligue 1 the average is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
History –
The Slovenian referee has only officiated 2 times for PSG in his career, in the 2023-2024 group phase with a 3-0 win over AC Milan, and last October against Arsenal with a 2-0 defeat and 2 yellow cards (for Calafiori and Ruiz). As for the Gunners, this will be the second time.
