FC Barcelona hosts Elche this Sunday (18:30 CEST) for matchday 11 of LaLiga, and will do so with Miguel Sesma Espinosa as the referee. The referee from La Rioja was appointed by the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) along with Pablo González Fuertes (VAR).

For Sesma Espinosa, Sunday's match will be his first time refereeing Barça. The 30-year-old referee was promoted to the First Division this season and has only officiated 6 previous matches as the main referee in the top tier of Spanish football, none against the Azulgrana team or Real Madrid.

However, he has been the referee for Elche in 6 matches, with a balance of 5 wins and 1 draw favorable to the Elche team. This season, Sesma Espinosa was the main referee in the 'franjiverdes' victory against Oviedo (1-0) on matchday 5, on September 21.

González Fuertes: A familiar face will be in charge of VAR

Much better known is the name of the person in charge of VAR in the Barça-Elche match. Pablo González Fuertes will be in charge of the VOR room in Montjuïc, as he was in the 2025 Copa del Rey final. The man from Asturias was the VAR in the Clásico that ended with a Barça victory in extra time.

That day he had a key intervention near the end, urging De Burgos Bengoetxea to overturn a penalty by Raúl Asencio on Raphinha in stoppage time. His last match as Barça's main referee was the victory against Athletic (0-3) on matchday 38 of last season.

Barça Must Return to Winning Ways Against Elche

For Barcelona, the match against Elche comes at a complicated point in the season. The team has lost two of its last three matches in La Liga and needs to win to stay in the fight for the lead. Villarreal's victory against Rayo has relegated the 'Culés', momentarily, to third place in the standings, 1 point below the 'Yellow Submarine'.

Although the season has just begun, Hansi Flick's team cannot afford to lose more ground against a Real Madrid that took a 5-point lead after their victory in the Clásico. The 'merengues' host Valencia on Saturday.