A football-weekend full of tension

Refereeing his first derby on Saturday, being a good referee in every position: Florian Meyer

After several weeks of matches which were more likely "calm", not to mention "boring", this matchday weekend is a cluster of international top clashes where the involved teams can win much, but lose even more. A lot of tradition is ensured in several showpieces and derbies in Germany and Spain, as we may observe the traditional Rhein-derby between FC Köln and Borussia M'gladbach, the Ruhr Area derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 and finally the Madrid derby between Real and Atlético. Furthermore, the two best Italian teams will meet in Serie A. 

An overview of these matches and the corresponding referee appointments follow:

ENGLAND

Saturday, 26/11/11, 18:30, Emirates Stadium 
Arsenal London - FC Fulham 
Referee: Mike Leslie Dean (ENG)
Assistant Referees: Billy Smallwood (ENG), Simon Long (ENG)

Sunday, 27/11/11, 17:00, Anfield Road
Liverpool - Manchester City
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referees: Peter Kirkup (ENG), Mike Mullarkey (ENG)


FRANCE

Sunday, 27/11/11, 21:00, Vélodrome
Olympique Marseille - Paris St.Germain
Referee: Lionel Jaffredo (FRA)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Chevreux (FRA), Tugdual Philippe (FRA)

GERMANY

Friday, 25/11/11, 20:30, Rhein-Energie-Stadion
1.FC Köln - Borussia M'gladbach
Referee: Manuel Gräfe (GER)
Assistant Referees: Markus Häcker (GER), Bastian Dankert (GER)
4th Official: Dr. Jochen Drees (GER)

Saturday, 26/11/11, 15:30, Signal-Iduna-Park
Borussia Dortmund - FC Schalke 04
Referee: Florian Meyer (GER)
Assistant Referees: Thomas Frank (GER), Christoph Bornhorst (GER)
4th Official: Marco Fritz (GER)

ITALY

Saturday, 26/11/11, 20:45, Olimpico
Lazio Roma - Juventus
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referees: Simone Ghiandai (ITA), Michele Giordano (ITA)
4th Official: Antonio Damato (ITA)

PORTUGAL

Saturday, 26/11/11, 21:15, Estádio da Luz
Benfica - Sporting
Referee: João Capela (POR)
Assistant Referees: Ricardo Santos (POR), Tiago de Almeida Rocha (POR)

Sunday, 27/11/11, 19:15, Estádio Dragão
Porto - Braga
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referees: Rui Licínio (POR), João Silva (POR)

SPAIN

Saturday, 26/11/11, 20:00, Santiago Bernabeu
Real Madrid - Atlético Madrid
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referees: Javier Aguilar Rodríguez (ESP), Pau Cebrián Devis (ESP)