Referee for Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig in UEFA Champions League

UEFA has appointed Romanian referee István Kovács to officiate the match between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig, scheduled for next Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, as reported by Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo". This match is part of the third round of the UEFA Champions League.

Kovac is 42 years old and has held the international badge since 2010. He belongs to UEFA's elite category, and the match between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig will be his first match officiated in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League this season.

The Romanian referee has officiated five matches for Real Madrid in European competitions, with the team achieving three wins and two losses. The last of these was a defeat against Liverpool, losing 1-0 at Anfield during the league stage of the previous edition.

The three victories came against Manchester City with a score of 3-1 in the qualifying playoff for the Round of 16 of the 2024/2025 season, Borussia Dortmund with a score of 5-2 in the league stage, and Liverpool with the same score in the first leg of the Round of 16 for the 2022/2023 season.

The first defeat came against Manchester City, losing 4-3 in the first leg of the semi-finals of the 2021/2022 season on English soil. Wednesday's match will be the first that Kovac manages for RB Leipzig in European competitions.

UEFA has assigned Polish referee Tomasz Kwiatkowski as the Video Assistant Referee for the match.