Disastrous numbers for Barca
The UEFA refereeing committee has handed Italian referee Marco Guida the Barcelona-Galatasaray clash on Tuesday evening, the second round of the Champions League league phase, at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul.
According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Guida, 45, will take the whistle for the eagerly awaited tie, with compatriot Marco Di Bello manning the video assistant referee room.
Few officials in Italian football carry more experience. Guida started out in 2010 and earned his international badge in 2014.
Istanbul will be his third European assignment of the season and his second in the Champions League, after a tie in the qualifying rounds.
It's also the third time he has refereed Barcelona in Europe. The Catalans haven't won either of the first two.
Guida's most recent Barcelona match came last season, in the round-of-16 first leg, when the Catalan side drew 1-1 at Newcastle United.
Go back further and you find Barcelona's trip to Belgian side Royal Antwerp in the 2022-2023 Champions League group stage, a 3-2 defeat on 13 December 2022.
Galatasaray's record under Guida reads one win, one loss from two matches.
That defeat came against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League league phase last season. The Turkish side were beaten 5-1.