This Wednesday, as part of matchday 8 of the Champions League 2024-2025 league phase, Paris Saint-Germain (22nd) take on Stuttgart (24th) at the Mercedes-Benz Arena (kick-off 9pm. The referee for the match has been chosen: Davide Massa (43). He has a growing wealth of Champions League experience, with 21 matches to his name. None with PSG or Stuttgart.
The man with the whistle will be assisted by Ciro Carbone and Stefano Alassio. The 4th referee will be Michael Fabbri. Video assistance will be provided by Aleandro Di Paolo and Luca Pairetto.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Massa on the whistle, we can expect yellow cards to come out very quickly during the match. Indeed, while the French average per match is 3.53 (standard deviation 0.39), Wednesday’s referee has given an average of 4.68 yellows per match in his entire Ligue 1 career (Transfermarkt figures). That’s a very high figure, and let’s hope it’s not without dialogue. But there’s enough to calm players down when it comes to bad gestures.
Direct red cards –
The man on the whistle this Wednesday is also not very severe when it comes to direct exclusions, as he has a low tendency when it comes to handing out direct red cards. In fact, Massa has given out 0.11 exclusions per match in his career, whereas the French average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation 0.07). This is reassuring in terms of a minimum of management.
Second yellow cards –
Davide Massa isn’t particularly accustomed to 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 0.09 times per match. This is on a par with the French average of 0.09 (standard deviation 0.03). With so many yellows to begin with, you’d think the referee would have a much harder time with reds.
Penaltys –
Finally, when it comes to penalties, the man on the whistle on Wednesday is still on a par with the French average, with 0.34 penalties whistled per match (standard deviation 0.08).
