Francisco José Hernández Maeso will take charge of tonight's clash between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou, his second La Liga assignment of the season, with Raúl Martín González on VAR duty.
Tonight marks the fifth Barcelona game Hernández Maeso has officiated since his promotion to the top flight in August 2023. The Catalans are unbeaten in the four he has overseen.
His most recent involvement came against Getafe on 25 April, a 2-0 win for Barcelona.
Last season he also handled their trip to Real Betis at La Cartuja, an eight-goal thriller Barcelona edged 5-3.
Before that, Hernández Maeso oversaw a 1-0 win at Leganés in matchday 31 of the 2024-2025 season. His first Barcelona game had come earlier still, in the round of 16 of the 2023-2024 Copa del Rey, when they beat Unionistas de Salamanca 3-1.
There's a first for the referee tonight. He has never officiated a Barcelona match at the Camp Nou.
Rayo Vallecano, by contrast, have plenty to gripe about. Hernández Maeso has taken charge of 11 of their games, with Rayo managing just 3 wins and a draw against 7 defeats.
Their last outing under his watch ended in misery. Alavés knocked them out of the Copa del Rey last season with a 2-0 win in the round of 16.