Ivan Bebek will referee Celtic’s Europa League tie at home to Lazio.
The 42-year-old Croatian has been in charge of matches in the competition for over a decade and is fluent in both English and Italian.
Last week he found himself in the centre of a race row when he took charge of the Bulgaria v England European Championship qualifier. Twice during the first half play was halted as fans were asked to stop making racist chants, despite the chants and abuse continuing during the second half play wasn’t halted. A third stoppage would have resulted in the match being abandoned.
Bebek was in charge of Celtic’s Europa League qualifier away to Suduva last year but will find Thursday night in Glasgow very different to his summer visit to Lithuania. He also refereed Celtic’s 2-1 Champions League win over Ajax in 2013.
Celtic go into the match in top spot in Group I with four points from their opening matches knowing that another home win will go a long way to ensuring a top two finish in the group and the guarantee of European football after Christmas.
On Saturday Neil Lennon’s side warmed up for the tie with a resounding 6-0 win over Ross County while Lazio fought back from 3-0 down to earn a point against Atalanta who play Manchester City tomorrow.
Celtic will be able to call upon Ryan Christie for the match with the midfielder completing his domestic suspension on Sunday when the hoops face Aberdeen.
CLICK HERE for Bebek’s record.