The referees' committee have appointed Jesús Gil Manzano to officiate the clash between Elche and Real Madrid, scheduled for Tuesday evening at the Martínez Valero stadium in the sixth round of La Liga. Raúl Martín González takes on the role of Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
The match carries mixed memories for Real Madrid with Gil Manzano, a referee who has drawn criticism from the club's supporters before. Real Madrid's television channel devoted more than one item to picking apart his decisions, especially after he disallowed Jude Bellingham's goal in the closing moments against Valencia at the Mestalla.
Across various competitions, Gil Manzano has officiated 51 Real Madrid matches. The team won 42 of them, drew six and lost three. Los Blancos have gone 22 games without defeat under his charge, their last loss with him in the middle dating back to 2020.
The Spanish referee also has prior experience of Real Madrid against Elche, having overseen the meeting between the two sides during the 2022-2023 season, which ended in a 3-0 win for Madrid.
Another clash between the pair fell to Gil Manzano at the Santiago Bernabéu last season, one Real Madrid settled 4-1. That makes Tuesday's game the third meeting between these two teams under his watch.
Elche's numbers with Gil Manzano offer little cause for optimism. The referee has officiated eight of their La Liga matches, and Elche have managed just a single win and two draws against five defeats.
His last game in charge of Elche was that 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu last season. Now the encounter between the referee and both sides is renewed once more at the Martínez Valero.
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