FC Barcelona will face one of its biggest 'enemies' in LaLiga against Athletic

The 2024/25 season has just begun in LaLiga EA Sports and FC Barcelona will already face Athletic Club in Montjuïc in matchday 2 in what is anticipated to be an authentic showdown. Beyond the sporting aspect, this match stands out because the Basques will visit the Culé stronghold and will probably field Nico Williams, a player who has been a source of discord between both institutions. The Blaugranas have unsuccessfully tried to secure his services this summer.

However, this match will have another striking element: the referee in charge of officiating the game will be Jesús Gil Manzano, who will be overseeing his fifth Barça-Athletic encounter (with three Culé victories and one for the Basques). Additionally, he will be assisted by Valentín Pizarro Gómez from VAR.

How has FC Barcelona performed when Gil Manzano is in charge?

The one from Don Benito will be the referee of the duel between the Blaugranas and the 'Rojiblancos'. It is worth noting that the Catalan side has had good results with this official, having won 24 of the 39 matches he has officiated, drawing seven, and losing eight. However, what is surprising is the notable ease with which Gil Manzano has shown in sending off players from the Barça team.

So far, the one from Badajoz has sent off a total of 10 FC Barcelona players, six of them with a straight red and four with a second yellow. This places him as one of the referees who has dismissed the most players from the Culé team in his career, suggesting that the Blaugrana assets will need to play with special caution.

The 10 dismissals orchestrated by the referee from Badajoz against FC Barcelona

• Dani Alves | FC Barcelona 6-1 Rayo Vallecano (03/08/2015) LaLiga | Sent off with a straight red in the 80th minute
• Luis Suárez | FC Barcelona 1-1 Atlético de Madrid (02/07/2017) LaLiga | Sent off with a second yellow (87' and 90')
• Sergi Roberto | FC Barcelona 1-1 Atlético de Madrid (02/07/2017) LaLiga | Sent off with a second yellow (19' and 59')
• Neymar Jr. | Málaga 2-0 FC Barcelona (04/08/2017) LaLiga | Sent off with a straight red in the 66th minute
• Clément Lenglet | FC Barcelona 2-2 Girona (09/23/2018) LaLiga | Sent off with a straight red in the 35th minute
• Clément Lenglet | Getafe CF 0-2 FC Barcelona (08/28/2019) LaLiga | Sent off with a second yellow (47' and 82')
• Leo Messi | FC Barcelona 2-3 Athletic Club (01/17/2021) Spanish Super Cup | Sent off with a straight red (120+1')
• Dani Alves | FC Barcelona 4-2 Atlético de Madrid (02/06/2022) LaLiga | Sent off with a straight red in the 69th minute
• Robert Lewandowski | CA Osasuna 1-2 FC Barcelona (11/08/2022) LaLiga | Sent off with a second yellow (11' and 31')
• Gerard Piqué | CA Osasuna 1-2 FC Barcelona (11/08/2022) LaLiga | Sent off with a straight red in the 45+4'

The highly controversial dismissal of Robert Lewandowski against Osasuna in 2022

Furthermore, in the memory of Culé fans will also remain the memory that Gil Manzano was the one who orchestrated the controversial dismissal of Robert Lewandowski against CA Osasuna in November 2022. The '9' from Warsaw had to leave the field for two yellow cards. Subsequently, after touching his nose, the referee interpreted in the match report a lack of respect for which he received a total of three 'clashes'.

This dismissal added another card to his list of major Culé figures sent off, including Luis Suárez, Neymar Jr., and Leo Messi. It is worth mentioning that this last dismissal, being the first and only one of the Argentine at the club level, occurred against Athletic Club (2-3) in the 2021 Spanish Super Cup final.

The recent controversies between Gil Manzano and FC Barcelona

Speaking of the most recent encounters between Barcelona and Gil Manzano, the last three dates back to last season in LaLiga EA Sports: against Rayo Vallecano in matchday 37 (3-0), Real Betis in matchday 21 (2-4), and Real Madrid in matchday 11 (1-2), with two victories and one defeat. In these matches, there were controversies that the referee overlooked, such as Aurélien Tchouaméni's hold on Ronald Araújo in the Clásico that was not penalized as a penalty.

Furthermore, in the clash against the Andalusians, both Betis goals required VAR intervention, one due to a presumed foul by Sokratis on Pedri González in the play before the goal, and the other due to a possible offside by Isco Alarcón. In both cases, the referee validated the actions in favor of the 'verdiblancos', which raises doubts about the possible 'handicap' that Barcelona could face in this match.