UEFA confirm officials for Manchester United vs Barcelona play-off second leg

UEFA have confirmed the match officials for the second leg of Manchester United and Barcelona’s Round of 16 play-off tie on Thursday, February 23. Kick-off is at 8pm. 

It’s all to play for at Old Trafford on Thursday as the two European heavyweights saw out a 2-2 draw in a thrilling 90 minutes of action in Spain. Viewers, pundits and commentators alike deemed the match worthy of a Champions League final in terms of entertainment, which is perhaps a testament to the drastic impact both managers have made whilst building their respective projects at such decorated clubs.

United were undoubtedly the stronger and more threatening of the two sides, though I am a little biased, and Erik ten Hag will definitely have his players rallied up for the second leg of the game.

UEFA confirm officials

The officials are Frenchmen across the board, as per UEFA; the referee is Clement Turpin and his assistants will be Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages. The fourth official is Jeremie Pignard, whilst the VAR will be handled by Jerome Brisard and assisted by Willy Delajod.

Turpin notably met United more recently during the Europa League final in 2021, which resulted in a penalty shootout loss for the Reds.

Last week’s referee, Maurizio Mariani, came under fire for several controversial decisions and was consequently approached by both Ten Hag and Xavi following the full-time whistle.

The draw for the Round of 16 will take place on February 24.

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