Willie Collum to referee Monaco v Juventus tie

Willie Collum will referee the Champions League quarter-final between Monaco and Juventus. Picture: Greg Macvean

The Italians take a 1-0 lead to Monte Carlo after Arturo Vidal struck the only goal in last week’s Turin opener.

The 36-year-old Glasgow official will lead a refereeing team that includes Irish assistant referee Damien McGrath, Scottish linesman Graham Chambers, fourth official Alastair Mather and additional assistants Bobby Madden and Kevin Clancy.

On the domestic front, he has already taken charge of the 2013 Scottish Cup final, as well as the Scottish League Cup final the year before, but Wednesday’s match will be his most high-profile European fixture.

Highly rated by Uefa, he has refereed major Champions League fixtures involving Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, as well the European Championship qualifiers between Montenegro and Sweden and Romania and Hungary.

However, his next date on the continent comes just three months after the religious education teacher made a controversial start to 2015 on home soil.

Collum awarded four penalties and sent off three players in his first two matches of the new year, but the red cards he gave to St Mirren’s Kenny McLean and Motherwell defender Stephen McManus were overturned by the Scottish Football Association’s judicial panel.

He was also criticised by Hibernian boss Alan Stubbs last month after allowing Rangers’ second goal in a 2-0 Easter Road win to stand, despite an apparent foul by visiting defender Lee Wallace on Paul Hanlon in the build-up.