- Henry Brookbanks
Istvan Kovacs appointed referee for Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid
Istvan Kovacs has been designated to referee Manchester City's Champions League fixture against Atletico Madrid. The Blues welcome the Madrid side to the Etihad, which will be the first of two legs at the quarter-final stage of the competition. The match will be played on the 5th of April, kicking off at 8 pm (BST).
Istvan Kovacs
Kovacs has spent the majority of his career officiating in the first tier of Romanian football. The 37-year-old has made 9 appearances in the Champions League since 2018/19, awarding 4 penalties and dishing out 43 yellow cards.
The Romanian has refereed a game involving City just once before, which came earlier this season in a group stage fixture where the Blues beat Club Brugge 5-1 away from home. Kovacs pointed to the spot that night after Riyad Mahrez was brought down in the box shortly before converting the penalty himself.
Pep Guardiola's men will have to remain disciplined and patient against what can be a frustrating Diego Simeone side on Tuesday night, especially considering the referee's tendency to brandish yellow cards. This was evident during Sevilla vs Lille earlier this season, which saw Kovacs dish out 11 yellow cards – the joint second-most in a single game in Champions League history.
Full Appointments
Referee: Istvan Kovacs
Assistants: Vasile Florin Marinescu & Ovidiu Artene
Fourth Official: Marco Di Bello
VAR: Paolo Valeri
Assistant VAR: Massimiliano Irrati
Written by: @BrookbanksHenry
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