What can Man City expect against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday? | Soccer

Man City face Liverpool in their first match since being found guilty of serious EPL financial violations.

Red flares, smoke-filled pyrotechnics, banners with loud words and incisive chants.

Manchester City can expect a raucous and hostile reception when they arrive at Anfield for their Premier League match against Liverpool on Sunday.

Liverpool fans are angry and plan to show their emotions for City as the league leaders play their first match since being found guilty of breaking more than 100 financial rules.

Follow our live coverage of Liverpool vs Man City.

In a ruling that could have a drastic effect on the future of England’s top flight, an independent commission found that City and their Emirati owners entered into “fictitious” deals to artificially inflate revenues and cut costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.2 billion) between 2009 and 2018.

City, who deny any wrongdoing, have appealed the devastating verdict.

The multiple breaches of Premier League regulations came at a time when City were winning three league titles and numerous other trophies, while Liverpool were struggling to break City’s stranglehold on the game in England.

City got a taste of the resentment that awaits them when Manchester United fans goaded them during their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Man City players and manager Enzo Maresca will get the full taste of a potentially fiery welcome from Liverpool supporters, who have also waited three weeks to see their team return to action after the long international break.

Social media posts and video reactions have made no secret of the anger that will be directed at City by Liverpool fans.

Spion Kop 1906, a Liverpool supporters group which organizes flag and banner displays on The Kop, Anfield’s famous single-decker South Stand, has urged participants to prepare to show their support when the Reds host Man City.

“There’s a lot to do in Sunday’s game on and off the field, but it’s up to us as a collective to make some noise and support the team,” Spion Kop said on X.

“Bring your flags, bring your scarves and be active from minute one.”

“LFC against cheaters”

A social media post promoting a ‘Bus Greeting’, urging Liverpool fans to gather near the stadium several hours before kick-off, before the City players’ bus arrives, is also making the rounds on X.

Another post on the bus greeting took a dig at Man City, describing the match as “LFC vs Cheats”.

Merseyside Police said a suitable policing operation would be in place on the day of the match.

Liverpool fans are no strangers to creating a hostile reception for City.

In 2018, during a Champions League quarter-final, City’s team bus was attacked with bottles and flares as it arrived at Anfield. Liverpool was subsequently fined 20,000 euros ($22,400) by UEFA, European football’s governing body.

Dom Farrell, author of the book Glory Days for the Waifs and Strays, which charts City’s rise from third tier to European champions, expects Sunday’s showdown to be “massively hostile”.

“If they won against Liverpool and then beat an out-of-form Paris Saint-Germain (in the Champions League on Wednesday), it would really create a siege mentality,” Farrell told the AFP news agency.

“But there’s also a good chance they’ll be turned over, and then you start to feel like you’re in some sort of dead zone waiting for the verdict.”

“Brutal day”

Former Manchester United captain and England defender Gary Neville expects Sunday to be a “brutal day” for visiting Man City, who lead the table with a 100 per cent record and are six points clear of Liverpool.

“If they want to understand how angry the game is going to be, then Anfield will tell them like you would never believe,” Neville said on The Overlap podcast.

“I suspect there might be banners. There will definitely be singing. There will be a reception like you’ve never seen at Anfield.”