The referee appointments for the return legs of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League qualifiers involving Azerbaijani clubs have been finalized.
According to information released by UEFA, as reported by the Operative Information Center-OMM, the officiating teams for these crucial matches have been confirmed.
In the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, the match between Finland's KuPS and Sabah will be officiated by Israeli referee Gal Leibovitz. He will be assisted by Roy Hassan and Yossi Babayoff, with Dekel Zino serving as the fourth official. The VAR duties will be handled by Daniel Bar Natan, while Eitan Shmuelevits will serve as the AVAR. The match is scheduled for July 28 in Finland, kicking off at 20:00 Baku time. Sabah enters the match with a 1-0 advantage from the first leg held in Baku.
The UEFA Europa League second qualifying round match between CSKA Sofia and Qarabag has been assigned to Belgian referee Bram Van Driessche. He will be assisted by Michel Seeldraeyers and Yves De Neve, with Kevin Van Damme acting as the fourth official. Bert Put has been appointed as the VAR, and Wesley De Cremer will serve as the AVAR. The game will take place on July 30 at the Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia, starting at 23:00 Baku time. The first leg in Baku ended in a goalless draw.
For the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round, the match between Dinamo Minsk and Neftchi will be officiated by Northern Irish referee Tim Marshall. He will be assisted by Georgios Argiropoulos and Ryan Kelsey, with Shane McGonigle serving as the fourth official. The match is scheduled for July 30 at the Beroe City Stadium in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, beginning at 22:00 Baku time. The Belarusian side won the first leg in Baku 4-2.
Finally, the Conference League return leg between Zira and Paide will be officiated by Croatian referee Dario Bel. He will be assisted by Ivan Janić and Dino Knez, with Patrik Pavlešić serving as the fourth official. The match will take place on July 31 in Baku, with the Estonian side holding a 1-0 lead from the first encounter.
These matches are pivotal for the Azerbaijani clubs as they seek to advance in their respective European campaigns. UEFA's qualification rounds are essential for clubs to secure spots in the group stages of these prestigious tournaments, which significantly impact the UEFA coefficient rankings for Azerbaijan.
