England kick off their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on Sunday evening, with the Three Lions desperate to make a positive start in Germany.
Gareth Southgate's men are looking to navigate a potential banana skin fixture as they aim to go a step further than they did at Euro 2020, with a drama-free evening exactly what England supporters have been dreaming of over the last few days.
How much stress is endured by fans may be dependent on the man with the whistle for the clash with Serbia, with the officiating at the tournament having been much improved from what is regularly seen in the Premier League... so far, at least.
Here is everything you need to know about the referee for Serbia vs England.
Who will referee Serbia vs England at Euro 2024?
The man trusted with taking charge of England's Euro 2024 opener is Italian referee Daniele Orsato. He will be a familiar face for fans of Serie A, with the 48-year-old having officiated just shy of 300 matches in Italy's top flight.
His assistants will be Ciro Carbone and Alessandro Giallatini, while the VAR for the clash will be Massimiliano Irrati. All of the team are from Italy.
How experienced is Daniele Orsato?
The Italian, who is known for being a strict disciplinarian, has plenty of experience on the grandest stages. As mentioned, he has a vast number of Serie A games under his belt, while he has also been regularly used in the Champions League over recent seasons.
He took charge of the 2019/20 Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, with a total of 55 matches to his name. In that time he has distributed 244 yellow cards, averaging just over four per game. His most high-profile match this season was the second leg of PSG's semi-final with Borussia Dortmund in the French capital - after which he confirmed he will retire come the end of Euro 2024.
In terms of international experience, Orsato has a whole bunch. He took charge of three games at the 2022 World Cup, including Argentina's semi-final with Croatia, and managed an average of five yellows per match in Qatar.
He was also handed three games at Euro 2020, dishing out 14 yellows and a red at the tournament. It's fair to assume that there may be quite a few cards brandished during England's battle with Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.
Has Daniele Orsato ever refereed England before?
Despite having been around the block a fair few times, Orsato and England have only crossed paths once before. Incidentally, that came in the opening match of Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium, with the Three Lions beating Croatia 1-0 in London.
His reputation as quick to his pocket was reinforced by the tournament opener three years ago, with Orsato handing out four yellows in total. Only one of them came for England, however.
Past controversies involving Daniele Orsato
Like most referees, Orsato hasn't been immune to criticism in high-profile matches. The most notable controversy came at the 2022 World Cup in Argentina's 3-0 win over Croatia in the semis.
After awarding a penalty to Argentina, which led to the opening goal of the game, Orsato came under fire from furious Croatia skipper Luka Modric after the match.
Speaking after the semi-final, Modric said of Orsato's performance: "Argentina were a fair winner of the match. They were better, they deserved to win, but these things have to be mentioned. I generally don't do them, but today they have to be done.
"I don't like to talk about referees, but this is one of the worst. I don't have a good memory of [Orsato], he's a disaster. For me, it wasn't a penalty. Despite this, I don't want to detract from Argentina. The penalty killed us."
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