The UEFA Champions League league phase is set to feature a high‑profile meeting between Galatasaray and Barcelona. The match, scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, 2026, will kick off at 22:00 local time at Galatasaray’s home ground, Rams Park. Before the teams even step onto the pitch, the focus has shifted to the man who will be in charge of the game: Italian referee Marco Guida.
In the days leading up to the fixture, UEFA released the official refereeing appointments for the second week of the league phase. The announcement confirmed that Marco Guida, representing the Italian Football Federation, would serve as the main referee for the Galatasaray versus Barcelona encounter. This appointment was made public ahead of the match, allowing fans and commentators to review Guida’s background.
Guida will not be alone on the field. Assisting him will be Giorgio Peretti and Giuseppe Perrotti, both also from the Italian Football Federation. Fabio Maresca has been named the fourth official, while Marco Di Bello will act as the VAR referee. Completing the video‑assistance team, Aleandro Di Paolo is appointed as the AVAR. Together, this group forms the complete officiating unit tasked with overseeing the match.
This aggregate record suggests a generally favorable outcome for Turkish opposition when Guida is in charge.
UEFA’s appointment invites a look at Guida’s recent history with Turkish teams. Across four matches in which he has refereed clubs from Turkey or the Turkish national team, the Turkish sides have recorded three victories and suffered only one defeat. This aggregate record suggests a generally favorable outcome for Turkish opposition when Guida is in charge.
When the scope is narrowed to Galatasaray specifically, the record under Guida’s officiating shows one win and one loss. The club has therefore experienced both success and disappointment in the two matches where he has taken charge.
In 2023, Galatasaray secured a 1‑0 victory over Olimpija Ljubljana while Guida was the referee. Two years later, in 2025, the same club faced a heavy 5‑1 defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt under his supervision. Beyond Galatasaray’s own matches, Guida has also overseen a win for İstanbul Başakşehir against Heidenheim and a triumph for the Turkish national team over Slovenia. These results collectively form the basis of the three‑win, one‑loss tally for Turkish sides.
With the officiating team now known and Guida’s past performance with Turkish clubs on the record, the stage is set for a match that will be watched closely not only for the quality of play on the pitch but also for how the referee’s history might intersect with the game’s flow. The appointment underscores the importance UEFA places on selecting a referee team well in advance, giving all parties a chance to review the officials’ backgrounds. As the date of October 13, 2026 approaches, Galatasaray will host Barcelona at Rams Park, hoping to add another chapter to their own story under Marco Guida’s whistle.