UEFA make unique announcement set to impact Newcastle United at Union SG in Champions League
Union Saint-Gilloise v Newcastle United: UEFA have made an official decision ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League match.
UEFA have made a unique match official appointment for Newcastle United’s Champions League match against Union Saint-Gilloise.
The Magpies are in Brussels looking to pick up their first Champions League away win since 2003 and bounce back from a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona last time out in the competition at St James’ Park.
The match will take place at Anderlecht’s Lotto Park, with Union SG’s Stade Joseph Marien not up to UEFA standards.
The Belgian champions won their first-ever Champions League match 3-1 against PSV Eindhoven last month. Meanwhile, Newcastle are looking to score their first away goals and pick up their first away win of the 2025/26 season.
United’s three away matches so far this season at Aston Villa, Leeds United and AFC Bournemouth have all ended 0-0. Newcastle’s last away goal from open play was a header scored by Fabian Schar in a 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa in April.
Schar is one of two players returning to the squad after missing Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal. Lewis Hall is the other with Tino Livramento dropping out due to a knee injury.
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Union SG v Newcastle United match officials confirmed
UEFA have announced that 39-year-old Urs Schnyder from Switzerland will referee Wednesday night’s match at Lotto Park.
He will be assisted by Benjamin Zurcher and Marco Zurcher with Sven Wolfensberger as fourth official.
Fedayi San is on VAR duty for the match, assisted by Lukas Fähndrich.
The match will be Schnyder’s third Champions League match and first since November 27, 2024 when he officiated PSV’s 3-2 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, who finished the game with 10 men following a straight red card.
His first Champions League group match as referee saw him award two penalties and show nine yellow cards in a 3-2 win for Feyenoord at Girona last season.
The Swiss referee is notable for being the guitarist for Swiss rock band Preamp Disaster.
Another interesting quirk of Newcastle’s match officials on Wednesday night is that the assistant referees, Marco and Benjamin Zurcher, are indeed brothers.
Newcastle will be looking to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time this season. In order to do that they will need to finish in the top 24 of the 36 group with a top eight place finish securing progress straight to the last-16.
Head coach Eddie Howe saw Newcastle finish bottom of a group including Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan last time out in the Champions League. But the changed format gives them a greater chance of progressing this time around.
“The away games that we experienced I think made us a better team to go back to the Premier League with,” Howe reflected.
“Milan Dortmund and Paris, you don't get much harder in European competition, but I think in all of those games, we were really competitive again and I think we took that back into our domestic form and grew from it even though they weren't wins.