UEFA has unveiled the referees for the Champions League round of 16 first legs and made a very surprising choice for Wednesday night’s PSG vs. Chelsea match at the Parc des Princes.

Two days before the PSG vs. Chelsea showdown at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night in the Champions League round of 16 first leg, UEFA has revealed the match referee. It is a bit of a surprise, as it is a referee PSG has never encountered before in the Champions League, despite their many matches in the competition in recent years.

Spanish referee Alejandro Hernández has been appointed to officiate the match between France’s PSG and England’s Chelsea. Hernández refereed PSG once in a Youth League quarterfinal in March 2016 (a 3-1 victory against AS Roma), but never in the Champions League, a competition in which he has limited experience (only nine matches, including four this season).

The 43-year-old, who has officiated several Clasicos during his career, has refereed Chelsea twice, including once this season in the Blues’ 2-1 loss to Atalanta Bergamo last December. Before that, the Spanish referee had only officiated Chelsea once, last season in the Conference League quarterfinal second leg against Legia Warsaw (a 2-1 loss for Chelsea).

While PSG had experienced referees Jesus Gil Manzano and Istvan Kovacs for their playoff matches against Monaco, a much less experienced referee on the European stage will officiate the first leg of this round of 16 against the Blues.

Luis Enrique knows him well, as Alejandro Hernández has been refereeing in La Liga since the 2012/13 season and has crossed paths with him multiple times, first with Celta Vigo and then with Barcelona.

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