CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Who is Ivan Kružliak, the referee for Barcelona vs Shakhtar Donetsk, Champions League 2023/24
Xavi Hernández and co. welcome Darijo Srna’s men for game three of the group looking to maintain their 100% record.
FC Barcelona, under the guidance of Xavi, is hinting at an intriguing journey for their fans this year. The team is already heading confidently towards securing their place in the knockout round, sitting top of Group H with maximum points after wins over Antwerp and Porto.
On Wednesday they host Shakhtar Donetsk at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, a temporary home due to the extensive renovation work at Camp Nou.
The man in charge in Spain on Wednesday 25 October is Slovakian official Ivan Kružliak. Let’s take a closer look...
Who is referee Ivan Kružliak?
Slovakian Ivan KružliakIn has had his share of games over recent months in the world of refereeing, covering numerous competitions, including three high-stakes Champions League fixtures. The most recent was Galatasaray’s 3-2 win over Manchester United, where he showed Casemiro a red card.
The 39-year-old has also taken charge of four Europa League encounters, and one in the Europa Conference League, a Euro Championship Qualifying match, as well as a number of Slovak league games and one in the Greek Superleague.
Who is the VAR for Braga vs Real Madrid?
The officiating team supporting Kružliak consists of assistant referees Branislav Hancko and Jan Pozor, both compatriots from Slovakia, and handling the responsibilities of the fourth official is Peter Kralović, also hailing from the country.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for this match is Tomasz Kwiatkowski, from Poland, and he’ll be joined by his assistant Piotr Lasyk, also from Poland, serving as the Assistant Video Assistant Referee.