This Sunday, as part of Matchday 20 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) will face Strasbourg (7th) at the Stade de la Meinau (kick-off at 8:45 PM, CET). The referee for the match has been chosen: Eric Wattelier (38 years old). He has considerable experience in Ligue 1, as this is his first season officiating and he has 16 matches under his belt.
The referee will be assisted by Huseyin Ocak and Nicolas Durand. The fourth official will be Pierre Gaillouste. Video assistance will be provided by Marc Bollengier and Hakim Ben El Hadj.
Yellow Cards –
With Mr. Wattelier as referee, we can expect yellow cards to be relatively rare during the match. Indeed, while the national average per match is 3.53 yellow cards (standard deviation of 0.39), Sunday’s referee has averaged 3.00 yellow cards per match throughout his Ligue 1 career (Transfermarkt figures). Let’s hope this is due to good management, without forgetting to protect the players.
Direct Red Cards –
The man with the whistle this Sunday is stricter when it comes to direct red cards. Wattelier has an average of 0.17 red cards per match in his career, while the national average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). Therefore, there is no question of letting bad behavior go unpunished, nor of handing out cards indiscriminately.
Second Yellow Cards –
Eric Wattelier doesn’t usually send off a player after their first yellow card in a Ligue 1 match. The national average is 0.09 (standard deviation of 0.03), while his is 0.04. With few yellow cards initially, this is quite logical and confirms the idea of a certain leniency.
Penalties –
Finally, regarding penalties, the referee on Sunday was above average with 0.40 penalties awarded per match, while the Ligue 1 average is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
