Andre Marriner has been confirmed as the referee for Newcastle United’s Premier League game at Chelsea on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
The Birmingham-born official will be the man in the middle for the clash at Stamford Bridge, as the Magpies return to action after the international break.
It will be 48-year-old Marriner’s sixth outing of the season, with each of his previous five coming in the top flight. Just last month, he refereed United’s 3-1 defeat at Liverpool, with his cards staying pocketed that day – and in total, he has issued just 11 yellow cards in those fixtures this term.
Marriner – who was promoted to the Select Group of professional referees in 2005 before becoming a FIFA international official four years later – has yet to dish out his first red card of the 2019/20 season, while he issued just three across 33 games last year.
He will be assisted by Scott Ledger and Simon Long in the capital at the weekend, while James Linnington will be the fourth official.
Meanwhile, Mike Dean – who refereed Newcastle’s 1-0 home win over Manchester United in their last outing – will fill the role of VAR, with Darren Cann assisting him.