French referee Clément Turpin has been appointed by UEFA to officiate Fenerbahçe’s high-stakes UEFA Champions League Matchday 4 fixture against six-time European champions Liverpool at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The 44-year-old FIFA-listed official, widely regarded as one of European football’s most experienced match leaders, will head an all-French refereeing team in Kadıköy. Turpin will be assisted by linesmen Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages,with Jérémie Stinat designated as the fourth official. Willy Delajod will oversee Video Assistant Referee (VAR) operations, supported by Éric Wattellier as AVAR.
The high-profile officiating appointment comes at a critical juncture for interim manager Dirk Kuyt, who is overseeing team preparations following İsmail Kartal’s departure. Fenerbahçe sit 31st in the Champions League standings with just two points from their opening three league phase matches, urgently needing a victory to keep their knockout qualification hopes alive.
Complicating matters for the hosts is an expanding defensive injury list. Ghanaian center-back Kojo Oppong was officially ruled out on Monday following a muscular injury suffered in the weekend’s 2–1 loss to Göztepe, joining Nathan Aké, Jayden Oosterwolde, and Marco Asensio on the sidelines. On a positive note, star forward Mason Greenwood returned to full squad training on Monday after recovering from a severe viral infection and is expected to feature.
Liverpool travel to Istanbul aiming to preserve their perfect European record (three wins from three matches) under Andoni Iraola, despite dropping points in a 1–0 Premier League loss to Arsenal at Anfield over the weekend. Turpin’s authoritative presence will be tested in what is expected to be a volatile atmosphere in front of over 45,000 supporters at Kadıköy.
Kick-off at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, at 20:45 TRT (17:45 GMT).
