UEFA has announced the referee assignments for Thursday’s Europa League matches involving Portuguese clubs FC Porto and Sporting de Braga, both facing teams still without points in the competition.
FC Porto is set to host Nice, with Slovenian official Matej Jug appointed to oversee the match. The encounter will kick off at 5:45 PM Central European Time (CET).
Sporting de Braga will travel to play Rangers. Dutch referee Allard Lindhout will be in charge of that fixture, which starts at 8:00 PM CET.
Both Nice and Rangers currently sit at the bottom of the Europa League league phase standings. They are the only two teams in the competition yet to secure any points after four matches.
FC Porto is positioned 14th in the league phase with seven points. Sporting de Braga holds the 5th spot with nine points.
Matej Jug, 45, has held UEFA insignia since 2007. He will be assisted by compatriots Matej Zunic and Manuel Vidali. Rade Obrenovic will serve as the fourth official, with Alen Borosak on VAR duty.
FC Porto has previously played two home matches under Jug. These include a 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2013/14 Europa League and a 1-1 draw against Copenhagen in the 2016/17 Champions League.
For the Rangers-Sporting de Braga game, 38-year-old Allard Lindhout will have Rogier Honig and Johan Balder as assistant referees. Robin Hensgens is the fourth official, and Pol van Boekel will manage the VAR.