PLAY THE ADVANTAGE

These appointments are about what you’d expect for Europa League matches: solid referees who aren’t quite at the Champions League/World Cup level.

Svein Oddvar Moen (above – dreamy, no?) is actually on the World Cup list, as the alternate team for UEFA. Wolfgang Stark has been top dog in Germany, but is close to retirement and has been recently eclipsed by Dr. Felix Brych.

Rounding out the four will be Scotland’s William Collum and England’s Martin Atkinson.

One interesting note is that Atkinson will be refereeing to an empty stadium. Basel has to play behind closed doors because their fans are a bunch of firecracker-throwing hoodlums.

Those damn Swiss…