Liverpool will host Manchester City this Sunday at Anfield as Enzo Maresca's Premier League leaders play for the first time since their seismic guilty verdict
Man City will return to action this weekend following their guilty verdict
Manchester City will return to action this weekend following their guilty verdict(Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
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It seems written in the stars that, as Manchester City return to Premier League action after being found guilty of 114 rule breaches, they would head to Anfield.
During City's dominance it is Liverpool who've come unstuck the most. Knowing now that so much of that success was built of inflated revenues will sting.
Sunday's game on Merseyside was always going to grab the attention, as it always does, but if City thought they were going into the lion's den, they should now consider that ten fold given the sense of feeling that no doubt exists in Liverpool.
Of course the Manchester outfit, the only team with a perfect record from five games as they sit top of the pile, have already begun creating their siege mentality. City continue to deny any wrongdoing, their head coach and players look to be buying in to that mantra.
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City's verdict, handed down by an independent commission, now leaves the Premier League almost at war with the team who've been the most dominant over the past decade. A win would perhaps be the sweetest of the controversial Abu Dhabi era.
But Anfield is not a happy hunting ground, even if Liverpool are always six points off the pace and without a win at home so far in the league. So will City relish making the trip or not?
Man City's visit is perfect timing - Anfield will ignite
By Sam Meade
Anfield loves a reason to get angry, and you poke the bear at your own risk. Look past the 2014 Premier League title that, had City not cheated, Liverpool would've won having finished second to them by just two points.
The bigger issue is that the team that Pep Guardiola had boasted a number of players purchased thanks to those inflated revenues. And it was Liverpool who would likely be seen as one of the modern day greats had City not been the force they were.
Man City have faced a hostile Anfield atmosphere in the past - but this Sunday's could reach new levels
Manchester City have faced a hostile Anfield atmosphere in the past - but this Sunday's could reach new levels
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That will be enough to rattle the Kop, and even if they aren't saying it, there's still a Liverpool star or two who would have a sensational trophy cabinet if it weren't for City. Virgil van Dijk and Alisson have been pipped on more than one occasion.
City never enjoyed playing at Anfield, even under Guardiola their wins were limited, especially during the Klopp era. Often those wins came when form suggested the team from Manchester should've landed victory.
Liverpool had won two out of eight leading into their clash in October 2022, which would be settled by a Mohamed Salah strike. In 2017/18 City were streets ahead in the table when the Reds ended their hopes of an unbeaten campaign.
Even if they're a team out of form, struggling with injuries and getting used to a new manager, this has all the hallmarks of a game that Anfield will relish becoming the 12th man once again.
From the minute the City bus begins driving in, expect hostility. Anfield is a beast the feeds of its own energy, and its been given no shortage of ammunition in a game that may well be fuelled by a decade's worth of 'what might've been'.
Man City have won at Anfield just twice over the past 20 years
Manchester City have won at Anfield just twice over the past 20 years(Image: PA)
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Liverpool beware, Man City are a wounded animal
By Nathan Ridley
An injured dog bites twice as hard, they say, and regardless of their impressive form under Enzo Maresca, City are wounded. I expect a siege mentality to translate from the boardroom to the pitch - 'us against the world' stuff.
I'll certainly feel more confident in Liverpool's chances if Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo prove to be fit, but their pair are currently major doubts. To illustrate how important both players have been for Andoni Iraola's side, all of Isak's goals this season have involved Gakpo.
City, of course, are assessing injuries to Nico O'Reilly and Antoine Semenyo, while Phil Foden remains banned. But their squad still looks stronger.
In my opinion, Liverpool's best chance will come if City lose their heads - something which the Anfield crowd will be baying for. But I'm backing City to make a statement - and not the kind we've been reading for the last fortnight.