Last August, Pedro Proenca was nursing a couple of broken teeth after being headbutted in the face by an irate Benfica fan in a shopping centre in Lisbon. It's a sign of Proenca's toughness that 10 months later, he'll be refereeing Italy vs England in Kiev tonight.
Proenca had just left the gym when he was attacked, but refused to let it get to him and he was refereeing again a couple of weeks later despite serious facial injuries.
Proenca is a no-nonsense referee, more concerned with the players behaving themselves than with letting the game flow. Players will need to be careful or they'll quickly find themselves in the book. John Terry and Ashley Cole will be familiar with him from the Champions League final which Proenca reffed - and reffed well.
The referee will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on Terry and Balotelli, if the feisty Italian starts. England will know just how easily Balotelli can be wound up.
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