UEFA has appointed referee István Kovács to officiate the Champions League second-leg playoff between Real Madrid and Manchester City on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu.
This will be the fourth time Kovács has overseen a Real Madrid match in the Champions League. The Romanian referee previously officiated Real Madrid’s 5-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024/25 group stage, as well as their 5-2 win over Liverpool in the 2022/23 Round of 16 first leg. Kovács also refereed the Los Blancos’ 4-3 win over Manchester City in the 2021/22 Champions League semifinals first leg.
Clément Turpin was the referee for the first leg at the Etihad Stadium last Tuesday, where Real Madrid triumphed 3-2, with Jude Bellingham scoring a stoppage-time winner.
The winner of the two-legged tie will advance to the Champions League Round of 16.
