Man City vs Chelsea: Who is the referee and VAR for the Premier League clash?
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The officials have been confirmed for Chelsea's Premier League clash against Man City on Sunday evening.
Chelsea make the trip to Manchester for their opening game of 2026. But they do it in unfamiliar circumstances following the exit of head coach Enzo Maresca, who left the club on New Year's Day.
It will see Chelsea be led by Under-21s head coach Calum McFarlane at the Etihad. McFarlane has never taken charge of a senior professional football match, so Sunday will prove to be his biggest test yet.
"It's not really about me or my first game or playing against Pep (Guardiola)," previewed McFarlane. "It's about Chelsea versus City. Two top sides. We'll go there and compete. We've seen this year how this team can do in big moments. We're really looking forward to that challenge."
They will need to turn their form around if they want to claim a result in Manchester. Chelsea have won just one of their last seven Premier League games (D4 L2), with Man City also unbeaten in their last eight league games against Chelsea (W6 D2),
Guardiola will have been expecting to come up with Maresca. That will no longer be the case and the Spaniard believes Chelsea have lost an 'incredible person and manager'.
"All I can say is that from my point of view Chelsea have lost an incredible manager and an incredible person," said the Man City boss.
"It's a decision from the Chelsea hierarchy so I've nothing to say. How lucky I am in the club where I am. My club is extraordinary."
As Sunday’s clash awaits, the officials have been confirmed for the Premier League fixture.
Referee
The Premier League have confirmed that Michael Oliver will take charge of the meeting between Man City and Chelsea.
Assistants
Michael Oliver will be supported by Stuart Burt and Nick Greenhalgh on the touchline.
Fourth Official
Simon Hooper has been named as the Fourth Official for Sunday’s match, with the referee overseeing conduct within the two dugouts, and the behaviour of Pep Guardiola and Chelsea Under-21s head coach Calum McFarlane, who has been asked to lead the side following Enzo Maresca’s departure.
VAR/Assistant VAR
Overseeing proceedings from Stockley Park on Sunday will be Darren England, who has been named as the Video Assistant Referee, with the Assistant Video Assistant Referee being Dan Robathan.
Matt Debono leads the editorial team which covers Chelsea On SI. He has witnessed Chelsea win it all, whilst also featuring on ITV News, SPORTbible and various other publications.