UEFA has appointed Croatian referee Igor Pajac to officiate Sporting’s upcoming UEFA Champions League fixture against French side Lens, Record reported. The match for the second round of the league phase is scheduled for Tuesday at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Sporting Faces Lens with Croatian Officiating Crew
Sporting travels to France carrying momentum from a strong opening result in the competition. In the first round of the league phase, the Lisbon side secured a 3-1 victory over Turkish club Galatasaray at Alvalade. Meanwhile, Lens enters the Tuesday fixture following a narrow 3-2 away win against Czech side Slavia Praga.
Kickoff is set for 18:45 local time, which corresponds to 17:45 in Lisbon. The fixture marks a critical test for both clubs as they navigate the early stages of the expanded European tournament format.
Inside the Refereeing Crew Appointed for Tuesday
Igor Pajac, a 41-year-old referee born in Zagreb, leads an officiating team dominated by Croatian officials, according to diadejogo.pt. He will be assisted on the sidelines by Bojan Zobenica and Ivan Mihalj, while Dario Bel serves as the fourth official. Ivan Bebek takes charge of the video assistant referee room.
The officiating crew features just one non-Croatian member: Polish official Tomasz Kwiatkowski, who joins the VAR setup as an assistant. For Pajac, Tuesday’s assignment marks only his second appearance in the main phase of the UEFA Champions League, following his debut in October 2025 during Athletic Bilbao’s 3-1 win over Qarabag at San Mamés.
Unbeaten Portuguese Record for Pajac
Records show that Pajac brings a flawless historical record when refereeing matches involving Portuguese teams and selections, diadejogo.pt reported. across four prior encounters, Portuguese sides have secured four wins under his watch. That sequence began in March 2022 with a 4-1 victory for Portugal’s under-19 side against Ireland in European qualification.
The referee’s club assignments involving Portuguese opposition all feature SC Braga. Pajac oversaw Braga’s 2-1 away win against Servette in August 2024, a 3-0 home victory over Hoffenheim in November 2024, and a 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest in the UEFA Europa League in January 2026.
Questions Surrounding the Lens Encounter
Whether Sporting can maintain its winning European form away from home against a resilient French side remains the central question heading into Tuesday’s match. Neither club has reported definitive squad absences or final tactical lineups ahead of the Tuesday evening kickoff at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
