Who is Szymon Marciniak, the referee for Liverpool vs Galatasaray in the Champions League?
One of the most experienced referees in Champions League history, Poland’s Marciniak will be the man in the middle at Anfield.
The highly experienced Szymon Marciniak will be the match referee at Anfield today, as Liverpool bid to overturn a narrow deficit in their Champions League last-16 second leg against Galatasaray.
Chasing the seventh European title in their history, Liverpool were beaten 1-0 in Istanbul last week, Mario Lemina’s first-half goal giving Galatasaray the edge at the tie’s halfway stage. It was the second time the Turks have beaten the Reds at Rams Park this season: Okan Buruk’s men were also 1-0 winners on matchday two of the league phase.
Galatasaray may have enjoyed consecutive home victories over Liverpool, but their record in England is not good. Per UEFA stats, they have lost eight out of 12 on English soil, including a 2006 defeat on their most recent visit to Liverpool. That said, Buruk did lead the 25-time Turkish titleholders to a 3-2 win at the home of Liverpool’s fiercest rival, Manchester United, in 2023.
The winner of the Liverpool vs Galatasaray tie will earn a quarterfinal matchup with the defending European champions, Paris Saint-Germain. Luis Enrique’s men sealed their last-eight berth yesterday, winning 3-0 at Stamford Bridge to secure an 8-2 aggregate demolition of Chelsea.
Who is Szymon Marciniak?
Since his Champions League debut in 2014, Marciniak has overseen 59 games in Europe’s elite club competition, placing him joint-third on the all-time refereeing appearance list. Only France’s Clément Turpin (61) and Germany’s Felix Brych (69) have taken charge of more Champions League matches, per Transfermarkt.
Twenty-one of Marciniak’s Champions League games have come in the knockout stages - and one was the tournament’s final. In June 2023, the 45-year-old was the match referee at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium, where Manchester City beat Inter Milan to secure their first - and so far only - continental crown. Marcinak also refereed City’s victory in the 2023 Club World Cup final: a 4-0 win over Brazilians Fluminense.
Six months before becoming the first Pole to whistle the Champions League trophy decider, Marciniak was appointed to another of the men’s game’s showpiece events. In December 2022, he took charge of the World Cup final - also a first for Polish officials - as Argentina claimed a penalty shootout win over France.
A FIFA-listed official since 2011, Marciniak was also among the referees at World Cup 2018, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.
In Polish league soccer, Marciniak made his Ekstraklasa debut back in 2009 - and has gone on to amass a staggering 417 appearances in the country’s men’s top flight.
Liverpool vs Galatasaray: kickoff times, how to watch
In the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, Liverpool host Galatasaray today, Wednesday March 18, 2026, with kickoff at Anfield scheduled for 8:00 p.m. local time. In the U.S., that translates into a 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT start. Viewers in the States can watch the clash on Paramount+, TUDNA USA, UniMás, Univisión Now and ViX.
Who are Marciniak’s assistants at Anfield?
Poland’s Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik will be Marciniak’s on-field assistants, while Pawel Raczkowski, also Polish, will be the fourth official. Italy’s Marco Di Bello will be the video assistant referee (VAR), and his compatriot Daniele Chiffi will be the assistant VAR.
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