Barcelona will restart the season with a La Liga clash against Espanyol on December 31st.
It’s expected to be a heated derby clash, as Barcelona will seek to take all three points and maintain their position at the top of the table.
Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz will take charge of this game.
Interestingly, Messi had slammed Lahoz during the World Cup in Qatar.
It was the referee who officiated the World Cup quarterfinals between the Netherlands and Argentina. An angry Messi publicly slammed Lahoz after the final whistle.
Despite the World Cup controversy, the 45-year-old is rated as one of the best referees in Spain.
