On Wednesday, December 10, as part of Matchday 6 of the 2025-2026 Champions League group stage, Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) will face Athletic Bilbao (27th) at the San Mamés Stadium (kick-off at 9 pm, CET). The referee for the match has been chosen: Daniel Siebert (41 years old). He has considerable experience in the Champions League, having officiated 21 matches.
The referee will be assisted by Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn. The fourth official will be Daniel Schlager. Video assistant referees (VAR) Benjamin Brand and Andrew Dallas will be in charge.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Siebert as referee, we can expect yellow cards to be shown very early in the match. Indeed, while the French average per match is 3.53 yellow cards (standard deviation of 0.39), the referee on Wednesday has issued an average of 4.71 yellow cards per match throughout his Champions League career (Transfermarkt figures). That’s high; let’s hope there will be some dialogue. At least the players should be protected.
Direct Red Cards –
The man in charge on Wednesday is also strict when it comes to direct red cards. Siebert has an average of 0.19 dismissals per match in his career, while the French average is 0.17 per match (standard deviation of 0.07). The players need to be on their best behavior.
Second Yellow Cards –
Daniel Siebert also has a habit of sending 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 0.14 times per match. This is higher than the French average of 0.09 (standard deviation of 0.03). The high number of yellow cards shown initially reinforces the impression of a certain strictness.
Penalties –
Regarding penalties, the referee is above average this time, awarding 0.33 per match, while the Ligue 1 average is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
History –
Siebert has refereed PSG three times: a 5-0 victory against Club Brugge in the 2019-2020 group stage, a 3-1 victory against Maccabi Haifa in the 2022-2023 group stage, and a 1-0 win against Girona in the 2024-2025 league season.
This will be his first Champions League match with Bilbao.
