Top Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano to take charge of Celtic v Bayern Munich

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The Celtic Star

·11 February 2025

Top Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano to take charge of Celtic v Bayern Munich

Top Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano has been named referee for tomorrow night’s UEFA Champions League knockout playoff encounter between Celtic and Bayern Munich…

Kylian Mbappe holds his nose as he is shown a yellow card by Referee Jesus Gil Manzano after receiving medical treatment following clashing heads with Kevin Danso of Austria during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Austria and France at Düsseldorf Arena on June 17, 2024 in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

An eagerly awaited encounter

Brendan Rodgers’ side will take on the Bundesliga league leaders tomorrow evening before heading to Bavaria six days later for the second leg.

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Both teams head into this hotly anticipated two-legged affair with supreme confidence and momentum. Following Bayern’s routine 3-0 victory over Werder Bremen on Friday night, Vincent Kompany’s men are now eight points clear of possible Champions League last 16 opponents Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga table.

Daizen Maeda of Celtic is seen prior to the Celtic FC v Raith Rovers FC – Scottish Cup match at Celtic Park on February 08, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Maeda news gives Celtic huge boost

Meanwhile, Celtic cruised to victory with a 5-0 win versus Scottish Championship opponents Raith Rovers. Daizen Maeda, who netted a hat-trick in the Scottish Cup fifth round contest on Saturday is available to play against the German giants with the Hoops successfully appealing UEFA’s decision to suspend the 27 year-old for two games subsequent to Maeda’s harsh red card against BSC Young Boys three weeks ago.

Match Referee Jesus Gil Manzano shows a yellow card to Antonio Ruediger of Real Madrid during the Spanish Super Cup Final between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona at King Abdullah Sports City on January 12, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

UEFA appoint Spanish officials for the Paradise showdown

UEFA have now confirmed a set of Spanish officials to oversee proceedings in Glasgow’s east end tomorrow night.

Manzano will be the man in the middle for a European match involving Celtic for only the second time in his refereeing career. The 41 year-old experienced whistler was referee when Rodgers guided the Hoops to a famous 3-0 victory away from home in Europe’s elite club competition against Anderlecht back in 2017. That hopefully is a good omen for Celtic.

Referee Jesus Gil Manzano gestures after reviewing the VAR Monitor leading to a penalty being awarded to Athletic Club during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club at Camp Nou on August 24, 2024. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Assisting Manzano on-field are linesman Diego Barbero and Angel Nevado. Jose Luis Munuera has been named fourth official. Manning VAR duties is Spaniard Carlos del Cerro Grande with Portuguese official Tiago Matins taking up the role as assistant VAR.

Celtic fans Celtic v Bayern Munich, UEFA Champions League, Group B, Celtic Park, 31 October 2017. Photo by Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

Kick-off Time and Where to Watch, other than at Paradise

Kick-off for this UEFA Champions League clash at Paradise on Wednesday evening is 8:00pm. TNT Sports 2 will provide live coverage of the game. Celtic TV will have a delayed broadcast as is usually the case for European fixtures.

Conor Spence

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