Liverpool – PSG: Istvan Kovacs Takes Charge, A Lucky Charm for Paris?
Paris Saint-Germain will face Liverpool at Anfield this Tuesday (9 PM, Canal+) in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg (0-1 first leg). The match will be officiated by Istvan Kovacs (40 years old), an experienced referee with 28 Champions League games under his belt. He will be assisted by Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi, with Horatiu Fesnic as the fourth official, while Bastian Dankert and Tomasz Kwiatkowski will oversee VAR operations.
Quick to Show Yellow Cards
Kovacs is known for handing out yellow cards frequently, averaging 4.54 per match in the Champions League, compared to 3.53 in Ligue 1. Players will need to be cautious.
However, he is more lenient with red cards, issuing only 0.11 direct expulsions per game, which is lower than the Ligue 1 average of 0.17. He also rarely gives a second yellow leading to a red (0.087 per match).
More Penalties Awarded Than Average
Kovacs tends to award more penalties than the Ligue 1 average, with 0.46 per match compared to 0.34.
A Familiar Referee for PSG and Liverpool
Kovacs has officiated PSG four times, including their famous comeback against Barcelona in 2024 (4-1 win):
- PSG – Galatasaray (5-0) in 2019
- Newcastle – PSG (4-1) in 2023
- Barcelona – PSG (1-4) in 2024
- Bayern – PSG (1-0) in 2024
For Liverpool, he has only refereed one match—their 2-5 loss to Real Madrid at Anfield in 2023.
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