Paris Saint-Germain did part of the job by winning the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Liverpool last week (2-0). From now on, Luis Enrique’s men will try to validate their ticket for the semi-finals of the competition on Tuesday evening. For this summit match, a referee they have already met will be blowing the whistle. UEFA has confirmed that Maurizio Mariani will lead the match.
A bad memory for the Parisians this season
In the single group stage, the 44-year-old Italian was already on the whistle this season during a PSG match, against Bayern Munich (1-2), this season. Even if he had logically expelled Luis Diaz for his gross foul on Achraf Hakimi, the reigning European champions had lost. This experienced referee has officiated 17 matches in C1, including 6 this season.
🚨 Maurizio Mariani 🇮🇹 will be on the whistle for Liverpool/PSG! His record with PSG:- PSG/Aston Villa 3-1 24/25 ✅- PSG/Bayern Munich 1-2 25/26 ❌His record with Liverpool:- Liverpool/Atletico 3-2 25/26 ✅ pic.twitter.com/8JunszzirW— MEGA PSG 🇵🇸 (@MegaPSG_) April 12, 2026
Good news for the Reds
Liverpool has better memories of Maurizio Mariano’s last match on the whistle because it was a victory for the Reds against Atlético de Madrid (3-2), also in the group stage.
In the past, Maurizio Mariani made headlines when he refereed the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League between Luis Enrique’s men and Aston Villa (won 3-1). But especially during Monaco-Benfica, in the play-offs last season, where he showed a red card to Moatasem Al-Musrati because he had requested a yellow card for his rival. Mr Mariani will be one of the referees at the World Cup this summer, although he is controversial in his country, where he was demoted to Serie B a weekend after a penalty awarded generously to Napoli against Inter.
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