Letexier to referee Liverpool-Madrid

French referee Francois Letexier, who refereed the last European Championship final in which Spain beat England in Berlin, has been appointed to referee the Champions League Matchday 5 fixture at Anfield between Liverpool and Real Madrid. It will be the third time that the Frenchman has refereed Real Madrid in European competition.
In Liverpool's case, the 35-year-old, who has been an international since 2016, was in charge of their debut in the competition, a 1-1 draw away to Midtjylland in the group stage of the 2020-2021 campaign. Letexier will be assisted on the sidelines by Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni and, in the VAR room, by Jerome Brisard, all of whom are French like him, and by Italian Aleandro di Paolo, while the fourth official will be Jeremy Stinat.
The 32-year-old Norwegian Rohit Saggi will be in charge of the match between Sturm Graz and Girona in what will be the second match of his career in this competition after making his debut on 18 September in the goalless draw between Shakhtar Donetsk and Bologna.
He will be accompanied by Norwegian assistants Morten Jensen and Anders Olav Dale and the fourth official will be Sigurd Kringstad, while the VAR room will be occupied by Dutchmen Clay Ruperti and Pol van Boekel.
Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano will take charge of the clash between Aston Villa and Juventus, whom he has whistled twice in the Champions League; a 1-0 defeat to Olympique Lyon in 2019-2020 and a 1-0 win against Chelsea in 2021-2022.
Gil Manzano will be assisted by Diego Barbero and Angel Nevado and, in the VAR room, by Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez. In addition, Juan Martínez Munuera will act as 4th official and Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez will be the VAR assistant.