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We have a man to blow the whistle in Manchester City's first match in Europe this season.
UEFA has appointed Björn Kuipers (Netherlands) to officiate the Citizens' Champions League opener against Borussia Mönchengladbach, on Tuesday at Etihad Stadium. This will be Kuipers' second assignment this season, having also refereed the Playoff match between FC Porto and AS Roma last month.
Kuipers is one of the world's best referees, and the Dutchman has been involved in big games throughout his career. He was involved in three matches in Euro 2016, including the quarterfinal between France and Iceland. His assignments in the last edition of the Champions League involved two of City's group stage opponents in the European Cup this time around: Kuipers officiated Barcelona's 1-1 draw in Italy against Roma, as well as Mönchengladbach's 1-1 draw against Juventus in Germany.
City don't have the best record in matches officiated by Kuipers. The Citizens never won in games involving the Dutchman, although there were only two games: a draw against Roma in 2014 and a loss to Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich in 2013. Both matches were in the group stage of the Champions League and took place at the Etihad, so we might not win on Tuesday...