Celtic are on the cusp of Champions League qualification and have a 3-0 lead going into Tuesday night’s showdown in Austria. The officiating team has been announced for the match, with one of UEFA’s most experienced men being granted the whistle.
It is a healthy lead for Celtic thanks to goals from Benjamin Nygren and Camilo Duran on Wednesday in Glasgow’s east end. Each goal was special in its own right, though the squad are well aware that the job is not complete.
Avoid conceding an early goal and the likelihood of the Hoops booking their place in the league phase of the competition becomes all the clearer. The Hoops have shown they can hurt LASK going forward – but the Austrian champions will pose their own threats.
The officiating team for the match has been revealed, with Polish referee Szymon Marciniak taking charge of proceedings. He is best know for refereeing the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France.
He averages 4.08 yellow cards a game; 0.10 reds.
Marciniak has never taken centre stage of a Celtic fixture before, but was one of the additional assistant referees for the 1-1 draw with Stade Rennes in the 2011 Europa League group stage match.
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There is a Scottish link, however. The 45-year-old was granted Scotland’s World Cup qualifying match against Denmark back in November; a memorable night as the Tartan Army secured their place at the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
For Today’s night’s Champions League clash, Marciniak will be assisted by fellow Polish officials Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik. Pol van Boekel of the Netherlands will oversee the VAR side of things, supported by Pawel Malec.
Supporters will be more concerned about Celtic’s performance rather than the officials themselves.
Martin O’Neill’s side are in prime position to qualify and bank around £40 million – a place in the league phase could mean their transfer activity is ramped up a notch.
The first-leg at Celtic Park was a clean game, all things considered. Just one yellow card was shown during the match, as LASK’s Kasper Jorgensen was booked after 62 minutes. Hopefully it’s more of the same on Tuesday night as the Hoops look to get the job done.
The second leg kicks off at 8 pm BST on Tuesday and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.