Wednesday 4th OctoberNewcastle United vs Paris Saint-GermainSt. James' ParkKick-off 8pm BST

The Romanian official has been appointed for the fixture on Tyneside, which will see Champions League football return to the home of the Magpies after a 20-year absence.

Kovács has been overseeing matches in the Romanian top flight since 2006 and has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2010. He was selected for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar a few months after he took charge of the 2022 Europa Conference League final, where Roma beat Feyenoord 1-0.

Last year, the 39-year-old also oversaw a Champions League semi-final first leg between Manchester City and Real Madrid and also officiated at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup. Earlier in 2023, he was the fourth official for City's 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul.

2023/24 stats

Games (all competitions): 7Yellow cards issued: 43Red cards issued: 2

Assistants

Assistant referees: Vasile Florin Marinescu and Ovidiu ArteneFourth official: Marcel BirsanVAR: Marco FritzAssistant VAR: Rob Dieperink