Hernandez Maeso puts unbeaten Barcelona record on the line in Camp Nou debut

Francisco Jose Hernandez Maeso will referee Barcelona’s La Liga meeting with Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou tonight, in the first time he has taken charge of a match involving the Catalan club at the stadium since beginning his refereeing career.

The fixture will be Hernandez Maeso’s second La Liga appointment of the season. Raul Martin Gonzalez has been assigned as the video assistant referee.

Barcelona have avoided defeat in all four of their previous matches under Hernandez Maeso since he was promoted to the top flight in August 2023. Tonight’s game will be his fifth involving the club, with the referee having overseen victories in three of the previous four and a further unbeaten result.

His most recent Barcelona assignment came against Getafe on 25 April, when the Catalan side won 2-0.

Hernandez Maeso also officiated Barcelona’s meeting with Real Betis at La Cartuja last season. That match produced an eight-goal thriller, with Barcelona prevailing 5-3.

Earlier in the 2024-25 season, he was in charge when Barcelona defeated Leganes 1-0 at Butarque on matchday 31 of La Liga.

His first match involving Barcelona came in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey during the 2023-24 campaign. Barcelona won that tie 3-1 against Unionistas de Salamanca.

The occasion at Camp Nou gives Hernandez Maeso an additional milestone, as it will be his first opportunity to referee Barcelona at the club’s home ground. His previous appointments involving the side have all taken place elsewhere.

His record with Rayo Vallecano is considerably less favourable. Hernandez Maeso has refereed 11 of the club’s matches, during which Rayo have recorded three wins and one draw, while suffering seven defeats.

The most recent of those fixtures was Rayo’s Copa del Rey last-16 tie against Alaves last season. Rayo lost 2-0 and were eliminated from the competition.

That contrasting history adds significance to the appointment. Barcelona enter the match with an unbeaten record in games handled by Hernandez Maeso, while Rayo Vallecano will be seeking to improve a sequence in which they have lost seven of their 11 matches under the referee.

For Hernandez Maeso, however, the match represents more than another domestic assignment. It is his first Barcelona game at Camp Nou and his second La Liga appearance of the season, with his previous decisions involving the club having brought four unbeaten outcomes.