European football is heating up, and the stakes couldn’t be higher for Portuguese clubs this week. Benfica faces a crucial Champions League challenge, with UEFA tapping Italian official Marco Guida to oversee their big home game. The Eagles are hosting French side Nice on Tuesday in the second leg of the third qualifying round. This match is a massive hurdle, the second-to-last step before reaching the coveted group stage.
Guida, who is 44 years old and has been an international referee since 2014, brings a steady hand to the field. He will be joined by his Italian countrymen, Giorgio Peretti and Giuseppe Perrotti, as assistant referees. Matteo Marchetti will serve as the fourth official, ready to step in if needed. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties fall to Aleandro Di Paolo, with Michael Fabbri assisting him. It’s worth noting that Guida has never refereed a Benfica match in European competitions before. Benfica comes into this game with a solid lead, having beaten Nice 2-0 on their home turf last Wednesday. The return leg kicks off at 8:00 PM local time at the famous Estádio da Luz in Lisbon.
Benfica isn’t the only Portuguese team fighting for European glory. Sporting de Braga and Santa Clara also have pivotal home matches this coming Thursday. Braga is set to host Romania’s CFR Cluj in the Europa League’s third preliminary round. They hold a narrow 2-1 advantage from the first leg played in Romania. German referee Sascha Stegemann will be in charge of that contest, which starts at 7:30 PM at the Estádio Municipal de Braga.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara will welcome Northern Ireland’s Larne in the Europa Conference League. The Azoreans secured a comfortable 3-0 victory in the first leg away from home. Danish referee Jakob Sundberg has been appointed to this game. Santa Clara’s match begins at 7:00 PM local time (8:00 PM in Lisbon) at the Estádio de São Miguel in Ponta Delgada. Just like Benfica, both Braga and Santa Clara must win this round and then navigate a playoff stage to book their spots in their respective continental competition’s league phase.
In another Conference League fixture set for next Thursday, Portuguese officials will also be in action. António Nobre has been named the referee for the match between Turkish club Besiktas and Ireland’s St. Patrick’s. Besiktas features Portuguese internationals João Mário and Rafa Silva in their squad. Fellow Portuguese referee André Narciso will be on VAR duty for that game.