Newcastle United fan and Premier League referee Michael Oliver is set to take charge of Arsenal’s match against Burnley on Saturday.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 02: Match official Michael Oliver looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 02: Match official Michael Oliver looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

The Premier League have completed their match official appointments for the coming weekend of games, and Michael Oliver is set to referee Arsenal’s match against Burnley.

Oliver will be assisted by Stuart Burn and Dan Cook, with Craig Pawson acting as the fourth official. Michael Salisbury will be on VAR, with Ian Hussin as the assistant VAR.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 08: Match Referee Michael Oliver shows a yellow card to Mateo Kovacic of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on October 08, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Match Referee Michael Oliver shows a yellow card to Mateo Kovacic of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on October 08, 2023. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

There will be a lot of focus on Arsenal with regards to refereeing this weekend, following two major controversies in last weekend’s match against Newcastle United, so it’s interesting to note that Michael Oliver is a Newcastle fan.

Oliver has confirmed his allegiances in the past, joking: “Every decision against Newcastle is a bad one. That’s the way it works.”

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Daily Cannon understand that Oliver was even spotted supporting Newcastle in a local pub when they played against Arsenal in May, sporting a black and white scarf to show his allegiances.

In light of the decisions made in favour of Newcastle against Arsenal on Saturday, and in the wake of Mikel Arteta’s outraged comments on the matter, appointing Oliver to referee the Gunners’ next game is a surprising choice.

Referee Michael Oliver (2L) speaks to Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp and Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 9, 2022. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Referee Michael Oliver (2L) speaks to Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp and Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 9, 2022. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

There’s no doubt Oliver is one of the Premier League’s best referees, and that’s presumably the primary driving factor behind his appointment.

If you’re looking to get on top of a media frenzy about refereeing involving a particular club, you want their next few games to go by without controversy.

But Oliver has had his fair share of controversial moments in recent Arsenal fixtures, from failing to send off Mateo Kovacic this season to sending Gabriel Martinelli off for two yellow cards in the same passage of play against Wolves last year.

Oliver was also in charge for the drama-filled clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea on Monday, so the Premier League certainly haven’t given him a quiet week.

Speaking as an Arsenal fan, it would be nice for the current complaints about officials to be a thing of the past by the end of the week. It just doesn’t seem likely right now.

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