This Monday, as part of Matchday 3 of the 2025 Club World Cup group stage, Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) take on Seattle Sounders (4th) at Lumen Field (kick-off 9pm CET, broadcast on DAZN). Cristian Garay (36) has been chosen to referee the match. He has a wealth of experience, including 25 Copa Libertadores (South American equivalent of the Champions League) matches to his name.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Garay at the whistle, we can expect yellow cards to come out very quickly during the match. Indeed, while the French average per game is 3.53 (standard deviation 0.39), Monday’s referee has given an average of 4.32 yellows per game throughout his Copa Libertadores career (Transfermarkt figures). That’s a very high number, which should help protect the players. We mustn’t forget dialogue.
Direct red cards –
The man on the whistle on Monday was less severe when it came to direct red cards. Indeed, Garay’s career total is 0.16 exclusions per match, whereas the French average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation 0.07). There’s no question of punishing everyone.
Second yellow cards –
Cristian Garay’s habit is to send off a player after his first yellow card in a match, as he has given a second warning to the same player an average of 0.16 times per match. This is well above the French average of 0.09 (standard deviation 0.03). With a lot of yellows and not many reds (and don’t forget the reds) to begin with, there’s a certain logic to it.
Penaltys –
Finally, when it comes to penalties, the man on the whistle on Monday is lower than the French average, with 0.32 penalties whistled per match, whereas the average in Ligue 1 is 0.34 (standard deviation 0.08).
