On Tuesday, February 17, in the first leg of their 2025-2026 Champions League playoff (the second leg is on Wednesday, February 25), Paris Saint-Germain (2nd in Ligue 1) will face AS Monaco at the Stade Louis II (kick-off at 9 pm, CET). The referee for the match has been chosen: Jesus Gil Manzano (42 years old). While not a veteran of the Champions League, he has considerable experience, having officiated 30 matches.
He will be assisted by Angel Nevado and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso. The fourth official will be Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez. Video assistant refereeing (VAR) will be provided by Carlos del Cerro Grande and Valentin Gomez.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Gil Manzano as referee, we can expect yellow cards to be issued relatively regularly during the match. Indeed, while the French average per match is 3.53 yellow cards (standard deviation of 0.39), the referee of the first leg of the playoff has issued an average of 3.70 yellow cards per match throughout his Champions League career (Transfermarkt figures). This is quite low for the European competition; let’s hope this will be accompanied by good player protection and open communication.
Direct Red Cards –
The referee on Tuesday was much less strict when it came to direct red cards. Gil Manzano has an average of 0.07 red cards per match in his career, while the French average is 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). This reflects a focus on managing the situation rather than simply punishing the players.
Second Yellow Cards –
Istvan Kovacs doesn’t usually send off a player after their first yellow card in a match, as he hasn’t done so yet in this competition. The French average is 0.09 (standard deviation of 0.03). The high number of yellow cards initially reinforces the idea of issuing warnings to calm tempers.
Penalties –
Regarding penalties, the referee officiating Tuesday’s match is above average, awarding 0.40 penalties per game, while the Ligue 1 average is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
History –
Gil Manzano has refereed PSG 5 times: a 4-1 victory against Club Brugge (2021-2022 group stage), a 1-1 draw against Benfica (2022-2023 group stage), a 2-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund (2023-2024 group stage), a 2-1 defeat against AC Milan (2023-2024 group stage), and a 7-2 victory against Bayer Leverkusen (2025-2026 league stage), with a red card for Ilya Zabarnyi (PSG’s 23-year-old defender) and another for the German side.
He has also refereed AS Monaco once: a 2-2 draw against Manchester City (2025-2026 league stage).
