Man City face hostile Anfield reception at Liverpool after guilty verdict

The verdict and the appeal

Manchester City go to Anfield on Sunday as Premier League leaders, with a cloud over their first league match since the verdict. An independent commission found the club guilty of nearly all of 115 charges of breaching the Premier League's financial rules between 2009 and 2018. The Premier League said the commission found City used schemes during that period to appear to comply with financial rules, and Al Jazeera puts the sums involved at more than £900 million ($1.2bn). City continue to protest their innocence and have lodged an appeal, while manager Enzo Maresca has been bullish that they will overturn the original ruling. The Premier League is still weighing punishment, and points deductions, fines, transfer embargoes and relegation are all listed as possible outcomes.

Pressure beyond the pitch

Calls have been made for City directors to be suspended, and there are calls for a criminal investigation into potential false accounting and for the Government to probe the tax implications of the scandal. So far the findings concern the club only, not any individual, and City deny wrongdoing. Leaked documents published by Der Spiegel show Ferran Soriano, the chief executive appointed in 2012, discussing strategy around financial fair play rules that came into force in 2013. After a meeting with fellow executives at the European Club Association, the documents show him saying:

We will need to fight this, and do it in a way that is not visible, or we will be pointed out as the global enemies of football.

Soriano, now 59, is one of the central figures profiled in the fallout, although no key individual has been found to have done anything wrong.

What Anfield can expect

Andy Jones of The Athletic, asked about the atmosphere, expects a hostile reception for City.

It's going to be hostile, no doubt about that.

Jones added that every Liverpool supporter will want to beat City even more than usual. A social media post promoting a bus greeting has urged Liverpool supporters to gather near the stadium several hours before kickoff with flags, banners, pyrotechnics and flares, ahead of the City players' bus. Merseyside Police said there would be an appropriate policing operation in place on the day. The City bus has been attacked on the way to Anfield before, and local police have issued warnings ahead of this match.

Rivalry and the table

City lead the Premier League with 15 points, six ahead of Liverpool, who are sixth in the standings. Sunday's match will be the 202nd between the clubs in all competitions, with Liverpool holding 95 wins, City 53 and 53 draws. Liverpool finished second behind City in 2013-14, 2018-19 and 2021-22, the last two by a single point, and City were second when Liverpool won the title in 2019-20. Enzo Maresca faces Andoni Iraola this weekend in a fixture that has produced several high-scoring clashes.

What comes next

Kickoff is at 15:30 GMT, 4:30pm local time, on Sunday 11 October, and Al Jazeera Sport starts live build-up and updates from 12:30 GMT. The fixture is matchday 6 of the Premier League season. The appeal and any sanction remain pending, and the BBC describes the legal process as likely to be lengthy. The league season is effectively on hold until the appeal and any potential sanction are settled, and the BBC has raised the suggestion that the whole season could be rendered meaningless.