This Wednesday, in the semi-finals of the 2025 Club World Cup, Paris Saint-Germain will take on Real Madrid at MetLife Stadium in New York (kick-off 9pm CET, broadcast on DAZN). The referee for the match has been chosen: Szymon Marciniak (44). He has a wealth of experience, including 55 Champions League matches to his name.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Marciniak at the helm, we can expect yellow cards to be handed out quickly during the match. Indeed, while the average in Ligue 1 per match is 3.53 (standard deviation 0.39), Wednesday’s referee has given an average of 4.02 yellows per match in his entire Champions League career (Transfermarkt figures). This is very high, and let’s hope it’s to protect the players and not forget the dialogue.
Direct red cards –
The man on the whistle on Wednesday was far less severe when it came to direct red cards. Marciniak’s career total is 0.04 exclusions per match, compared with the French average of 0.17 (standard deviation 0.07). Clearly, he’s not just there to punish.
Second yellow cards –
Szymon Marciniak has a habit of sending off a player after his first yellow card in a match, as he issued a second caution to the same player an average of 0.11 times per match. This is higher than the French average of 0.09 (standard deviation 0.03). With many yellows and few reds to begin with, it’s clear that the Pole favors the warning, but isn’t afraid to exclude.
Penaltys –
Finally, when it comes to penalties, the man with the whistle on Wednesday is above average, with 0.44 penalties whistled per match, compared with an average of 0.34 in Ligue 1 (standard deviation of 0.08).
History –
PSG are used to coming up against Szymon Marciniak, and with some superb memories (but not only): a 4-0 win against Barça in 2017, a 2-1 success against Liverpool in 2018, a 0-1 win against Galatasaray in 2019, a 2-1 defeat against RB Leipzig in 2020, a 1-1 draw against Newcastle in 2023, the famous 1-2 defeat against Atlético Madrid in 2024 and the even more memorable 4-2 win against Manchester City last January.
As for Real Madrid, they have played 9 games, winning 6, drawing 2 and losing 1.
