Chelsea take on Barcelona in the Champions League Last 16 first-leg clash at Stamford Bridge today.

The match will be officiated by Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir, a name Blues fans will be familiar with.

The no-nonsense referee has a reputation of being harsh on English club players in European competition.

Cakir has sent off Nani, Steven Gerrard, John Terry in the past.

Additionally, he also awarded a penalty against Chelsea in the 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge during the group stage.

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Cakir is the most experienced Turkish referee at International and European level and regularly officiates major tournament games.

The referee officiated the 2015 Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus in Berlin.

Cakir also took charge of the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League semi final match between Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid last season and is expected to officiate a semi-final or final game this campaign as well.

The experienced ref averaged 4 yellow cards, 0.22 red cards and 0.28 penalty decisions per-game on average [World Referee].