Italian referee to officiate Qarabag's match against English club for the second time

Italian referee Davide Massa has been appointed as the main official for the UEFA Champions League playoff match between Newcastle and Qarabag.

According to Report, the 44-year-old referee has previously overseen a match involving the Aghdam club against an English side. In 2018, he was the main referee for the Qarabag vs. Arsenal match held at the Baku Olympic Stadium. The encounter, which took place as part of the UEFA Europa League group stage, ended with a 3:0 victory for the visitors.

In 2019, Massa officiated Qarabag's match against APOEL in the Champions League qualification round, which the Azerbaijani team won 2:1.

This season, the Italian referee has officiated four UEFA Champions League matches. Most recently, he worked a game in Portugal, where Benfica defeated Spain's Real 4:2 in the final round of the league phase.

The Newcastle vs. Qarabag match will take place in England at 00:00 on the night of February 24–25. In the first leg in Baku, the English club secured a 6:1 victory.