The lowdown on the man in the middle for Liverpool’s trip to AFC Bournemouth on Sunday…
The Premier League has announced the officiating teams who will be taking charge of top-flight fixtures during Matchweek 18 of the 2017/18 season.
The players of Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth, who meet at the Vitality Stadium for a 4.30pm GMT kick-off on Sunday, December 17, will be joined on the pitch by referee Andre Marriner.
Simon Beck and Scott Ledger are his designated assistants, while Kevin Friend will be patrolling the technical areas in the role of fourth official.
Marriner’s 16 previous games this season have yielded a total of 47 yellow cards and three red.
This will be the second time the 46-year-old has officiated Liverpool this term, with the previous encounter being the chastening 4-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on October 22 (one yellow card shown to Liverpool).
Hosts Bournemouth are yet to cross paths with Marriner during 2017/18. Their two matches with him in the middle last term both ended in 3-1 home defeats, albeit to Manchester United (one yellow card shown to United) and Chelsea (five yellow cards shown, two to Bournemouth).
The West Midlands native’s yellow card average this campaign currently stands at a miserly 2.93-per-game, with a red card shown every 5.33 matches.
Marriner is associated with the Birmingham County Football Association and has been part of the Select Group of Premier League referees since 2005.
He was promoted to FIFA’s list for European and International matches in 2009.
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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