UEFA have confirmed the officiating teams for the upcoming Champions League matches between Milan-Newcastle and Lazio-Atletico Madrid.
The Rossoneri reached the semi-finals of the competition last season before suffering back-to-back losses to rivals Inter at the penultimate hurdle. Their 5-1 loss to the Nerazzurri on Saturday evening piles extra pressure on Stefano Pioli and his squad against Newcastle.
Lazio returned to the Champions League after a two-year absence thanks to their second-place finish in Serie A last term. Maurizio Sarri’s side have looked wildly inconsistent in the early stages of this season, picking up one win and three losses.
As confirmed today, Milan’s Champions League opener against Newcastle United will be overseen by an almost all-Spanish officiating team, led by Jose Maria Sanchez.
The assistant referees will be Raul Cabanero and Inigo Prieto, with Cesar Soto Grado as the fourth official. In the VAR room will be Alejandro Hernandez and Marco Fritz.
Lazio’s first outing in the Champions League against Atletico will feature an almost all-Slovenian referring team, led by Slavko Vincic.
His assistants will be Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic, with Rade Obrenovic as the fourth official. Nejc Kajtazovic and Bastian Dankert will oversee the VAR.