The Reds face Man City on Sunday in Enzo Maresca's side's first match since the club was found guilty of serious financial charges
Anfield will be a cauldron of noise on Sunday when Liverpool face Manchester City
Anfield will be a cauldron of noise on Sunday when Liverpool face Manchester City(Image: Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Three weeks of international football has left followers of the Premier League begging for some much-needed domestic action this weekend, not that there has been any shortage of drama in the meantime.
Europe's 'best' football league is back in full swing, but it returns with the dark shadow of one of the biggest financial scandals in the history of the game hanging over it.
This weekend's headline fixture, under any circumstances, is without question Liverpool v Manchester City at Anfield. Sky Sports has unsurprisingly selected it for their prime time 4:30 pm Sunday afternoon kick-off, but this particular encounter comes with some serious extra spice.
It will be City's first match since the club that has won eight Premier League titles and the Champions League in the past 14 years was found guilty by an independent panel of all but one of the serious breaches related to financial wrongdoing it was accused of.
With revenues that appear to have been artificially inflated to the tune of around £830m, City are now facing the prospect of brutal sanctions, including possible expulsion from the Premier League.
The fact that their first match after the bombshell verdict is at Anfield is nothing short of box office viewing, and I will have the privilege of being in attendance in the middle of the Kop.
There's little question that the home crowd is going to make the experience a deeply unpleasant one for their disgraced visitors, not that the players themselves have been accused of any wrongdoing, but someone has got to face the brunt of fan fury.
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What sort of effect this will have on the fortunes of Andoni Iraola's team, which will be without the in-form forwards Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, remains to be seen. But with City currently sitting at the top of the table with a perfect record after five matches, it goes without saying that this will be the toughest examination of this current Liverpool side yet under the former Bournemouth boss.
City are appealing the damning verdict of the independent panel and remain bullish in their confidence of overturning the outcome. And despite the build-up to this huge contest, that is really the only reason that it has any relevance whatsoever.
Over 60,000 people will turn up for a football match on Sunday that will be broadcast to millions across the globe, but could ultimately be completely pointless.
Should City fail to win their appeal, they should face immediate consequences, including suspension from the Premier League and possible expulsion. That is not a decision that can wait until the end of the season, just to fulfil their fixture list and appease the TV paymasters.
If City are removed from the top flight, their results for this season will need to be expunged and the outcome of Sunday's game will be null and void. Some people will be paying north of £100 to watch a white elephant football match. Consider that for a moment.
It almost renders Sunday's result completely pointless, not that anyone in the stadium will be thinking about that whilst the game is in progress.
I believe City should have been suspended from the Premier League as soon as the verdict was delivered, subject to appeal, although the league's own handbook explains why that isn't possible in practice.
Instead, Enzo Maresca's side will carry on about their business like nothing has happened, sitting proudly at the top of the table. For how long, is currently anyone's guess.
The delivery of the guilty verdict on City's serial financial doping was drawn out over years and no doubt the appeal will be stretched for as long as possible also. But until then, everyone invested in the Premier League is expected to carry on like nothing serious has happened. With each passing year, the game's detachment from the real world never fails to surprise.
Sunday's match is going ahead regardless, so Liverpool and City fans should enjoy the occasion and make the most of what could be the last time that the two sides face each other for a while. Both sides will be desperate for the win, even if the whole thing is rather meaningless.
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