This Wednesday, as part of the first leg of the Champions League 2024-2025 play-offs (0-3 first leg), Paris Saint-Germain take on Brest at the Parc des Princes (kick-off 9pm, UTC+1). The referee for the match is Michael Oliver (39). He has a wealth of experience in the Champions League, with 37 matches to his name.
The man with the whistle will be assisted by Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring. The 4th referee will be Andrew Madley. Video assistance will be provided by Michael Salibury and Peter Bankes.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Oliver at the whistle, we can expect yellow cards to be handed out very quickly during the match. Indeed, while the French average per game is 3.53 (standard deviation 0.39), Wednesday’s referee has given an average of 4.59 yellows per game throughout his Champions League career (Transfermarkt figures). That’s very high, let’s hope it’s without forgetting dialogue or a bit of “management”.
Direct red cards –
The man on the whistle on Wednesday was far less severe when it came to direct red cards. Oliver’s career total is 0.05 exclusions per match, compared with the French average of 0.17 (standard deviation 0.07). So there’s no question of punishing in all directions.
Second yellow cards –
Michael Oliver has a habit of sending players off after their first yellow card in a match, giving the same player a second warning an average of 0.11 times per game. This is higher than the French average of 0.09 (standard deviation 0.03). With a lot of yellows and few reds in the first instance, this is quite logical. It often goes by the warning, but it’s worth keeping an eye on it.
Penaltys –
Finally, when it comes to penalties, Wednesday’s man on the whistle is lower than the French average, with 0.30 penalties whistled per match, whereas the average in Ligue 1 is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
History –
Michael Olivier has never refereed at Brest, which is relatively logical given that this is their first Champions League campaign. On the other hand, he has already officiated 4 times for PSG, with mixed results: Benfica in October 2022 (1-1), Bayern Munich in February 2023 (0-1 loss), Real Sociedad in March 2024 (1-2 win) and RB Salzburg last December (0-3 win).
