Idman.biz
The referees for the "Newcastle" vs. "Barcelona" match, which will be held as part of the 1/8 final stage of the UEFA Champions League, have been announced.
Idman.Biz reports that the first game, which will be held on March 10 at "St. James' Park", will be managed by Italian Marko Guida.
This appointment was met with concern by "Barcelona" fans. The reason is the 44-year-old referee's not-so-successful statistics for the Catalans. So, Marko Guida has refereed only one "Barcelona" game in his career. In that match, which took place on December 13, 2023, in the group stage of the Champions League, "Barsa" unexpectedly lost 2:3 to the Belgian representative "Antwerp".
It is interesting that the experienced referee has been appointed to a "Newcastle" game for the first time in his career. The Italian referee's assistants will be Giorgio Peretti and Giuseppe Perrotti. Daniele Kiffi and Marko Di Bello will be in the VAR room.
It should be noted that in the first match between these teams in the group stage of the current season (September 18, 2025), "Barcelona" won 2:1 away. The return match will take place on March 18 at "Spotify Camp Nou".
