Manchester City will face the full fury of Anfield on Sunday when the Premier League leaders confront old rivals Liverpool in their first game since being found guilty of breaking financial rules. City can expect a hostile reception from Liverpool fans after an independent commission found they arranged “sham” deals to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than US$1.2 billion between 2009 and 2018. The financial breaches occurred during a period in which City won three Premier League titles and numerous other trophies, with Liverpool struggling to break the Etihad Stadium outfit’s silverware monopoly.
Manchester City’s coach Enzo Maresca before the UEFA match between FC Porto and Manchester City in Porto, Portugal, on Sept. 8.
Photo: AFP
City have appealed the verdict and manager Enzo Maresca was confident on Friday that they will overturn the original ruling. The Premier League season is in stasis awaiting a ruling on the appeal and possible sanction.
“I think the worst thing probably is the uncertainty, that no one knows what’s going to happen,” Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola said on Friday. A severe points penalty leading to relegation or even expulsion from the English top flight are possibilities, and there is speculation City could be stripped of titles.“I think they have to be stripped of the titles. Otherwise you send the wrong message to anyone in the future,” John Gibbons of Liverpool podcast The Anfield Wrap said in an interview. “There can’t be any trust now, certainly not if there’s not an admission of guilt. For me, I don’t see how Manchester City continue in the league.”Over the past 12 years, Liverpool have finished second to City on three occasions. Only one of those, during the 2013-2014 season, was during the period under scrutiny. City’s rivals believe the wrongdoing in that period built the foundations for a golden era under Pep Guardiola, who stepped down at the end of last season. Twice Jurgen Klopp’s Reds missed out on the title despite amassing over 90 points. Those title battles turned meetings between City and Liverpool into English soccer’s marquee event and the eyes of the world will be on Anfield again come Sunday.“It just shows how remarkable that team that Jurgen Klopp built was and what they were up against,” Gibbons said. “They were obviously going against another side who it has been shown weren’t playing by the same rules as everyone else.”Even in happier times, City have rarely enjoyed their trips to Anfield. Last season’s 2-1 victory was City’s first win there in front of a crowd since 2003, with their other win coming amid COVID-19 restrictions in 2021. City return to Anfield sitting atop of the Premier League after a flawless start to Maresca’s reign, featuring seven successive wins in all competitions. Months after the charges against the club were announced in February 2023, City went on to win the treble, clinching the club’s first Champions League crown, as well as the Premier League and FA Cup. The question is whether Maresca’s men can tap into that mentality once more, rather than wilting under the intense scrutiny. Liverpool supporters have often created a hostile atmosphere for City’s visits since they emerged as title contenders following the takeover by their Abu Dhabi-based owners in 2008. This weekend’s showdown is likely to set a new standard for venom directed at City’s players and fans.“It’s going to be massively hostile,” said Dom Farrell, author of Glory Days for the Waifs and Strays, which chronicled City’s rise from the third tier to European champions. “If they were to win against Liverpool and then beat an off-form Paris Saint-Germain you really get a siege mentality going.”“But there’s also a decent chance they get turned over and then it just starts to feel you’re in this sort of dead zone waiting for the verdict,” he added.