Kovacs to officiate Inter vs. Atletico Madrid in UCL
Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs will officiate the Champions League match between Inter and Atletico Madrid, with Marco Fritz of Germany as the VAR.
It kicks off at San Siro on Tuesday at 20.00 GMT.
This is the first leg of the Round of 16 tie and a return to the Stadio Meazza for former Inter player Diego Simeone.
UEFA have assigned a Romanian officiating team to this fixture, led by referee Kovacs, with support from assistants Vasile Florin Marinescu, Ovidiu Artene and fourth official Horatiu Fesnic.
The VAR is German, Marco Fritz, with Catalin Popa as his assistant VAR.
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Kovacs is 39 years old and the biggest fixture of his career was officiating the Europa Conference League Final where Roma beat Feyenoord in 2022.
He already oversaw a match at San Siro this season, Milan’s 3-1 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund, a game that saw two penalties.
His only previous event with Inter was a 0-0 Champions League group phase draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk in September 2021.
Kovacs has overseen five Italian wins, four draws and three defeats at club level.
Atletico Madrid might be concerned, as they have lost both games with Kovacs wielding the referee, 1-0 to Manchester City in the 2022 quarter-final and 2-0 to Club Brugge in the October 2022 group tie.
Spanish sides in general have not done well with Kovacs, managing only three victories, four draws and six defeats at club level.