The lowdown on the man in the middle for Liverpool’s trip to Stoke City on Saturday…
The Premier League has announced the officiating teams who will be taking charge of top-flight fixtures during Matchweek 32 of the 2016/17 season.
The players of Liverpool and Stoke City, who meet at the bet365 Stadium for a 3.00pm BST kick-off on Saturday, April 8, will be joined on the pitch by referee Mike Dean.
Simon Long and Darren Cann are his designated assistants, while Jeremy Simpson will be patrolling the technical areas in the role of fourth official.
Liverpool defeated neighbours Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park on December 19 in their only previous game overseen by Dean this season (four yellow cards shown, one to Liverpool).
Weekend opponents Stoke won 3-1 at Sunderland when they last encountered the 48-year-old on January 14 (four yellow cards shown, one to Stoke).
Overall, in his 29 matches refereed in all competitions this term, the Wirral-native has handed out a total of 117 yellow cards and five red.
His current yellow card average stands at 4.03-per-game, with a red card shown every 5.8 matches.
Dean is associated with the Cheshire County Football Association and has been part of the Select Group of Premier League referees since 2000.
He was promoted to FIFA’s list for European and International matches in 2003.
So we know who will be holding the whistle, will it influence the outcome? Let us know your thoughts on the game below or vote in our poll…
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