Atletico Madrid vs Man Utd Referee: Glenn Nyberg Named

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On Tuesday night at the Metropolitano, Manchester United will play under a referee whose games they have never won. UEFA has appointed Swedish official Glenn Nyberg to take charge of Atlético Madrid vs Man Utd, the Red Devils’ second game of the Champions League league phase. Michael Carrick’s side are already short on confidence, and his record with both clubs adds an extra storyline to one of the standout fixtures of matchday two.

Glenn Nyberg Leads All-Swedish On-Field Team at the Metropolitano

The 37-year-old Nyberg brings a familiar crew to Madrid. His fellow Swedes Mahbod Beigi and Andreas Söderkvist will run the line, and Kristoffer Karlsson completes the on-field team as fourth official. In the VAR room, experienced Dutch referee Pol van Boekel will be supported by compatriot Dennis Higler.

Role	Official	Nationality
Referee	Glenn Nyberg	Sweden
Assistant Referee	Mahbod Beigi	Sweden
Assistant Referee	Andreas Söderkvist	Sweden
Fourth Official	Kristoffer Karlsson	Sweden
VAR	Pol van Boekel	Netherlands
Assistant VAR	Dennis Higler	Netherlands

Kick-off is at 8pm BST (9pm CEST) on Tuesday, 13 October. It will be Nyberg’s second Champions League appointment of the season.

Manchester United’s Winless Record Under Glenn Nyberg

Nyberg has refereed two Manchester United matches, both in European competition, and United failed to win either. One came under Erik ten Hag and the other under Ruben Amorim. Both games also featured costly goalkeeping errors from André Onana.

Bayern Munich 4-3 Manchester United (Champions League, 2023/24)

Nyberg’s first United game was their opening group-stage fixture of the 2023/24 Champions League, under the old format, at the Allianz Arena. United lost 4-3 in a chaotic match shaped by two Onana mistakes. Nyberg also gave Bayern a penalty for a soft-looking handball against Christian Eriksen and booked Lisandro Martínez.

Beigi and Söderkvist were his assistants that night as well, so Tuesday reunites the same refereeing trio from that defeat in Munich.

Lyon 2-2 Manchester United (Europa League, 2024/25)

The second meeting came in France, in the first leg of the 2024/25 Europa League quarter-finals. United left with a 2-2 draw, again undone by Onana errors. Nyberg booked four United players: Manuel Ugarte, Diogo Dalot, Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount. United then won the return leg 5-4 at Old Trafford.

Season	Competition	Match	Result	Key Nyberg Calls
2023/24	Champions League	Bayern Munich vs Man Utd	4-3 loss	Penalty against Eriksen for handball; Martínez booked
2024/25	Europa League QF, 1st leg	Lyon vs Man Utd	2-2 draw	Four United players booked

Atlético Madrid Haven’t Won Under Nyberg Either

The one consolation for United is that Diego Simeone’s side have fared no better with Nyberg. Tuesday will be only his second senior European match involving Atlético.

The first was last February’s Champions League knockout phase play-off first leg against Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium, which ended in a 3-3 draw. Before that, his only Atlético appointment was in the 2019-20 UEFA Youth League round of 16, when the Spanish club’s youth side lost to Ajax on penalties.

That leaves two winless records heading into the same 90 minutes, and only one of them can survive a decisive result.

How Nyberg Handled Napoli vs Arsenal on Matchday One

Nyberg has refereed in Sweden’s top flight since 2013 but only began officiating European fixtures in 2020. His first Champions League game this season was Arsenal’s trip to Naples on 9 September, which the Gunners won 1-0 through Martin Ødegaard’s 75th-minute goal.

Some of his decisions in that game were criticised, notably when Eberechi Eze avoided an early yellow card. It was not the first time Nyberg had faced scrutiny in a big Champions League match involving an English club. In Arsenal’s 2-2 home draw with Bayern Munich in 2023/24, a game dominated by penalty decisions, he waved away a late Arsenal appeal when Bukayo Saka went down under a challenge from Manuel Neuer.

Why the Referee Matters for Carrick’s Struggling Man Utd

United need any small edge they can find. They finished third in the Premier League last season and spent more than £150 million on midfielders over the summer, but the domestic campaign has stalled. Saturday’s 1-1 draw with 10-man Tottenham Hotspur was their third draw in six league games, and they have won only one of those six.

They have also gone out of the EFL Cup in the third round after Brighton & Hove Albion came from behind to win 3-2. Europe has been the bright spot so far: United opened their Champions League campaign by beating Azerbaijani champions Sabah 4-0.

The squad situation makes Tuesday harder. Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte, one of the four players Nyberg booked in Lyon, are both injured. Benjamin Sesko and Patrick Dorgu are also unlikely to feature.

Atlético arrive in better shape. They lost 2-1 at Anfield on matchday one but have won four games in a row since. The fixture schedule is also tough for United, who face seven games in less than a month. A composed, disciplined performance in Madrid, with no needless bookings and no gifts for the officials to punish, would give Carrick’s side a much-needed lift going into that run.

Referee records rarely decide matches on their own, but this appointment sets up an intriguing night at the Metropolitano. United want to build on the Sabah win and show their European form is no fluke, while Atlético want home points after their Anfield setback. Every major call from Nyberg will be closely watched, and one of these two winless records will probably end on Tuesday. For a full match preview and predictions before kick-off, Tips.gg has you covered.