Manchester City face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, October 11, in a Premier League matchday 6 fixture. Kickoff is at 4:30pm local time (15:30 GMT). It is City’s first game since an independent commission found the Premier League leaders guilty of breaking the competition’s financial rules.
City can expect a hostile reception from Liverpool supporters. The commission found that the club arranged “sham” deals to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than £900 million ($1.2bn) between 2009 and 2018.
City’s financial rules verdict and appeal
The commission found Manchester City guilty of nearly all of the 115 charges of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018. The Premier League said the commission found that City used schemes during that period to appear to comply with the rules.
The breaches occurred during a stretch in which City won three Premier League titles and numerous other trophies. Liverpool struggled to break the Etihad Stadium club’s dominance in that period.
City have continued to protest their innocence and have lodged an appeal. If the decision is upheld, points deductions, fines, transfer embargoes and relegation are all possible punishments, according to the verdict. City manager Enzo Maresca was bullish that the club will overturn the original ruling. However, the Premier League season is now effectively on hold while the appeal and any potential sanction are awaited.
Maresca said he has absolute faith the club will win its appeal. He rejected any suggestion that City’s haul of silverware over the past 15 years was now tainted. “I completely trust the club,” Maresca said. “I trust the club because I trust the people and this is also the reason why I joined the club.”
Maresca was appointed manager in June. He previously worked at City as part of Guardiola’s coaching staff.
Fan protests planned ahead of City’s arrival at Anfield
Liverpool supporters have often created a febrile atmosphere for City’s visits since the club emerged as title contenders following the 2008 takeover by its Abu Dhabi-based owners. Sunday’s showdown is likely to set a new standard for the vitriol directed at City’s players and fans, according to the match preview.
A social media post promoting a “Bus greeting” has urged Liverpool supporters to gather near the stadium several hours before kickoff. The post calls on them to bring flags, banners, pyrotechnics and flares ahead of the arrival of the City players’ bus.
Merseyside Police said there would be an appropriate policing operation in place on the day.
Former Manchester United captain and England defender Gary Neville said on The Overlap podcast that anyone wanting to understand how angry the game will be should look to Anfield. “I suspect there may be banners, there will certainly be chanting,” Neville said. “There will be a reception like you have never seen for them at Anfield … it will be a brutal day.”
Liverpool have finished second to City three times over the past 12 years. Only one of those seasons, 2013-14, came during the period under scrutiny in the financial breach case. City’s rivals believe the wrongdoing in that period built the foundations for a golden era under former boss Pep Guardiola, who stepped down at the end of last season.
Injury blows for Liverpool and Haaland’s fitness
Liverpool have been dealt a significant blow ahead of the match, with Isak and Cody Gakpo both ruled out. Both returned from international duty with injuries. Gakpo picked up an ankle injury playing for the Netherlands against Serbia. Isak suffered what Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola described as a “small” thigh injury while playing for Sweden against Romania.
Isak’s absence is a serious loss, as the striker had finally found his form by scoring four goals in the opening five league games. Neither injury is believed to be long-term. Gakpo’s availability depends on how he copes with the pain, and the club is monitoring both players day by day.
Erling Haaland’s involvement had been in doubt after he came off during Norway’s Nations League loss to Portugal earlier this month. That was understood to be a precautionary measure amid an intense run of games during an extended international break. Maresca has confirmed that Haaland, who has scored 169 goals in 205 games for the club, is available for the trip to Merseyside.
“He’s good. He went to Marbella, [had] two, three days off, played golf, recovery,” Maresca said. “Ready for Anfield. He’s good.”
Form, prediction and the managers’ comments
City are top of the Premier League table with 15 points from five wins in five games. Liverpool are sixth with nine points, having won twice and drawn three times. Opta’s supercomputer has given City a 40.7 percent chance of victory on Sunday. Liverpool have a 34.6 percent probability of winning, while the chance of a draw is 24.7 percent.
The teams last met on April 4 this year, in the FA Cup quarterfinals. Haaland scored a hat-trick and Antoine Semenyo added another goal as City thrashed Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad.
Iraola said the lack of clarity over City’s future is causing uncertainty across the league. “I think the worst thing probably is the uncertainty, that no one knows what’s going to happen,” he said. “But we have to focus on Liverpool – be the best club we can be, the best team we can be and that’s my challenge.”
