Pep Guardiola is in attendance at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night as Manchester City host Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League group-stage.
Pep Guardiola has returned to the Etihad Stadium to show solidarity with his former club.More Videos
Guardiola, 55, left Manchester City at the end of last season after 10 years in charge, and Enzo Maresca took over as manager in June.
His departure closed a spell that began in 2016, and the squad has changed considerably since, with several senior players leaving over the summer.
The club's situation brought Guardiola back into the conversation at the end of September. An independent commission published its opinion on 29 September, finding City guilty on 114 of 115 charges of breaching the Premier League's financial rules between 2009/10 and 2017/18. Guardiola broke his silence the following day.
City lodged a comprehensive appeal at 7pm on 1 October and have maintained their innocence throughout. The sanctions phase has not begun and it has been suggested that a full resolution may not arrive until 2028 or 2029.
On the pitch, Maresca's side are top of the Premier League and unbeaten in the league this season, having won 3-0 at Liverpool on Sunday. Wednesday's game is City's second in the Champions League group phase, against the reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Guardiola pictured in attendance for Man City v PSG at the Etihad Stadium
Guardiola has indeed returned to the Etihad Stadium against PSG as he sits alongside director of football Hugo Viana and right hand man Manuel Estiarte - having publicly backed the club's board and supporters since the verdict.
Maresca was asked about the prospect ahead of the match and paid tribute to Guardiola's time at the club, saying: "It's still his house, for what he has done here!"
Guardiola's decade at City and the current picture
Guardiola's 10 years at the Etihad Stadium were bound up with the period now under scrutiny, as the independent commission's findings cover 2009/10 to 2017/18, and the first two of those seasons under Guardiola, 2016/17 and 2017/18, fall inside that window.
The club has denied all charges and states it holds "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence". His return therefore arrives at a point where City's supporters have been asked to show their backing in a way few expected at the start of the season.
The travelling fans at Anfield celebrated with the players at the final whistle, and Maresca and captain Ruben Dias both defended those celebrations in their pre-PSG press conferences.
Maresca has said he and the squad are focused on football, and the manager has repeated that the group trusts the club. Dias said the players are calm and concentrated on winning, a line that Guardiola's own public support for the board and supporters sits alongside.
PSG are the opponents Maresca has called the best team in Europe, noting they have won the last two Champions League titles. He said City would need a near-perfect performance but can beat them, with Guardiola among those watching from the stands.