Michael Oliver has been handed the whistle for Olympiacos v Real Madrid on Wednesday night, as UEFA rolled out the full list of referees for the crunch Champions League fixtures. France’s François Letexier gets the other headline tie, taking charge of Atletico Madrid against Inter Milan in the Spanish capital.
Letexier, who’s been on the international scene since 2017, hasn’t exactly been a stranger to either side but he’s only overseen one Champions League match involving Atleti or Inter before. That came in last season’s group stage when he handled Atletico’s wild 3–2 win over Feyenoord in October, followed by Inter’s 2–1 victory over Salzburg. Solid nights’ work, even if both games was a bit chaotic round the edges.
His crew at the Metropolitano looks very French from top to bottom. Willy Delajod will run the VAR room, with Cyril Mugnie and Mehdi Rahmouni on the flags. Jérémie Pignard gets the nod as fourth official, while Portugal’s Tiago Martins joins the tech team. Kick off’s set for 20:00 GMT, and Atletico will be desperate for a clean, steady night from the officials as they scrap for position in the League Phase.
Over in Greece, it’s Oliver who carries the big assignment. The Englishman, an international ref since 2012, will oversee his fourth Real Madrid match not a small gig given the Spanish giants’ knack for drama on European nights. He first took charge of them in that crazy 2018 quarter final second leg against Juventus, the one that ended 3–1 and had half of Madrid howling about late decisions. He later did the 2022 Super Cup the Blancos won 2–0, and last season’s trip to Braga where Madrid edged it 2–1.
Oliver’s team in Piraeus is very much a British blend. Andrew Dallas runs VAR, while Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring operate as assistants. Andrew Madley pops up as fourth official and Peter Bankes helps out on VAR duties. Again, 20:00 GMT under the lights at Karaiskakis, a stadium that can get properly fiery if Madrid start slow.
The 39-year-old has only refereed Olympiacos once before, in a rough Europa League night when the Greeks was battered 4–1 away at Besiktas in a last 16 second leg. Different competition, different stakes, but the Greek side won’t have forgotten how that evening unravelled.
With matchday five wide open and plenty still on the line, both Atleti Inter and Olympiacos Madrid could swing the tables before the final round. UEFA’s hoping the officials keep things steady; everyone else is hoping for a bit of midweek chaos.
