This Tuesday, as part of matchday 6 of the Champions League 2024-2025 league phase, Paris Saint-Germain (25th) will take on RB Salzburg (32nd) at the Red Bull Arena (kick-off 9pm, broadcast on Canal+ in France). The referee for the match has been chosen: Michael Oliver (39). He has a wealth of experience, including 384 Premier League games and 35 Champions League appearances.
The man with the whistle will be assisted by Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring. As for the role of 4th referee, it will be occupied by Sam Barrott.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Olivier at the whistle, we can expect yellow cards to be fairly rare during the match. Indeed, while the French average per match is 3.53 (standard deviation 0.39), Tuesday’s referee has given an average of 3.38 yellows per match in his entire career in the Premier League and Champions League (Transfermarkt figures). That’s very low, and let’s hope it’s thanks to dialogue and not excessive leniency.
Direct red cards –
The man on the whistle on Tuesday is also a little harsh on direct exclusions, as he has a low tendency to hand out direct red cards. Indeed, Oliver is at 0.08 exclusions per match in his career, whereas the national average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation 0.07). As long as it’s thanks to good management, all the better.
Second yellow cards –
Michael Oliver is not in the 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 0.05 times per game. This is well above the national average of 0.09 (standard deviation 0.03). With few yellows and reds, this is rather logical.
Penaltys –
Finally, when it comes to penalties, the man on the whistle on Tuesday is even lower than average, with 0.31 penalties whistled per match, compared with the Ligue 1 average of 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
