On Wednesday, September 9, during Matchday 1 of the 2026-2027 Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain will face Slovan Bratislava at the Parc des Princes (kick-off at 9:00 PM, CET). The match official has been selected: Mykola Balakin (37). He has very limited Champions League experience, with four matches under his belt.
The referee will be assisted by Oleksandr Berkut and Viktor Matyash. Dmytro Panchyshyn will serve as the fourth official, while Michael Salisbury and Matej Jug will handle video assistance.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Balakin officiating, one might expect yellow cards to be issued somewhat sparingly during the match. Indeed, while the average in French matches is 3.53 (standard deviation of 0.39), this Matchday 1 referee has averaged 2.25 yellow cards per game over his Champions League career (Transfermarkt figures). This is a very low figure; hopefully, he still manages to protect the players. The fact that he has officiated few matches makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions.
Straight red cards –
The referee for this match is not known for being harsh regarding straight red cards. Balakin has recorded zero sendings-off in his Champions League career, whereas the average in French matches is 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). Once again, the low number of matches means he has had few opportunities to issue them.
Second yellow cards –
Mykola Balakin is not in the habit of sending off players following an initial yellow card; he has yet to issue a second booking to the same player in a Champions League match. The French average stands at 0.09 (standard deviation of 0.03); given the sample size of four matches and the low number of yellow cards initially, this comes as no great surprise.
Penalties –
Regarding penalties, the official in charge of this match awards fewer than the usual number seen in France—0.25 penalties per match—whereas the Ligue 1 average is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
History –
This referee has not officiated matches involving PSG or Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League during his four previous games in the competition.
