UEFA announced on Sunday the refereeing team for the Croatia vs Spain match in the fourth round of the Nations League, taking place on Tuesday at 20:45 at Poljud. The 42-year-old Belgian referee Erik Lambrechts will officiate the match, with confidence placed in the entire Belgian refereeing team as his assistants also come from Belgium.
Lambrechts has been an international referee since 2014 and has not previously officiated a Croatia national team match. Croatia will host the current European and world champions in Split, adding extra weight to this encounter.
The Belgian referee recently officiated the match at Maksimir between Dinamo and Kauno Žalgiris, which ended 5-0, in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. This was a match that passed without major controversies, which was likely one of the criteria in selecting the refereeing team.
Erik Lambrechts' statistical profile shows that he averages around 3.8 to 4.1 yellow cards per match. Interestingly, he shows significantly fewer cards, around 41 per cent, to home teams, which could work in Croatia's favour in the match at Poljud.
He awards red cards rarely, with an average of approximately one every 8 to 10 matches, or around 0.10 to 0.16 per game. He awards penalties in approximately 22 per cent of matches, and in the Belgian league his statistical criteria are around 12 per cent stricter than the league average.
UEFA has thus selected an experienced referee for this important match, known for relatively moderate card distribution but slightly stricter criteria in domestic league play. Croatia will play in front of their fans against Spain on Tuesday at 20:45 at Poljud, with a Belgian refereeing team led by Erik Lambrechts.
