On Tuesday, April 14, for the second leg of their 2025-2026 Champions League quarter-final (2-0 in the first leg), Paris Saint-Germain will face Liverpool at Anfield (kick-off at 9 pm, CET). The referee for the match has been chosen: Maurizio Mariani (44 years old). He has considerable experience in the Champions League, having officiated 17 matches.
He will be assisted by Daniele Bindoni and Alberto Tegoni. The fourth official will be Matteo Marchetti. Video assistant referees (VAR) will be Marco Di Bello and Aleandro Di Paolo.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Mariani in charge, we can expect yellow cards to be shown rather quickly during the match. Indeed, while the French average per match is 3.53 yellow cards (standard deviation of 0.39), the referee of the quarter-final has averaged 4.06 yellow cards per match throughout his Champions League career (Transfermarkt figures). Let’s hope this is done while maintaining dialogue and promoting a tension-free match, as the stakes can already generate enough tension.
Direct Red Cards –
The referee for the quarter-final is much less severe when it comes to direct red cards. Mariani averages 0.12 dismissals per match in his career, while the French average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). This suggests a more controlled approach, rather than resorting to excessive punishment.
Second Yellow Cards –
Maurizio Mariani doesn’t typically send off a player after their first yellow card in a match, as he has given a second yellow card to the same player an average of 0.06 times per game. This is lower than the French average of 0.09 (standard deviation of 0.03). With so many yellow cards initially, this reinforces the idea of using cautions to calm tempers and making sending off less likely.
Penalties –
Regarding penalties, the referee who will officiate this quarter-final is above average with 0.41 penalties awarded per game, while the Ligue 1 average is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
History –
Mariani has refereed PSG twice: a 3-1 victory against Aston Villa in the first leg of the 2024-2025 Champions League quarter-final and a 1-2 defeat against Bayern Munich in the 2025-2026 Champions League (with Luis Diaz shown a red card after VAR review).
He has also refereed Liverpool once: a 3-2 victory against Atlético Madrid in the 2025-2026 Champions League.
