Soccer-Liverpool match looms but Man City will know what to expect at Anfield

Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Third Round - Manchester City v Norwich City - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - September 17, 2026 Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca REUTERS/Phil Noble

Manchester City face a hostile ⁠reception at Liverpool on Sunday in their first game since being found guilty of serious ⁠breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, though how much the verdict will affect ‌the leaders remains unclear.

Fanchatrooms have been humming with opinion and invective but that is nothing new when it comes to relations between the old rivals.

The "sham" commercial contract case has hung over the Premier League for years and may rumble on for ​some time yet after City filed an appeal.

Just how much ⁠it spills over into the stands at ⁠Anfield, and grounds beyond that over the course of the season, remains to be seen.

"If they want ⁠an ‌understanding of how angry the game is going to be, then Anfield will tell them like you would never believe," former Manchester United captain and England defender Gary Neville declared ⁠recently on The Overlap podcast.

"I suspect there may be banners, there ​will certainly be chanting. There ‌will be a reception like you have never seen for them at Anfield...it will be ⁠a brutal day."

Merseyside ​Police said there would be an appropriate policing operation in place on the day.

Other commentators said that Liverpool supporters had been calling City cheats since they were charged by the Premier Leaguein February 2023.

"Man City players ⁠already know what rival fans will do amid charges fallout," ​read a headline in theManchester Evening news on Monday.

"City players won't necessarily be walking into anything new when they resume their club duties this weekend," wrote the paper's chief City reporter.

"It is not going to ⁠be pretty, but it will be a surprise if it catches the players off guard given how used to the abuse they are."

City are unbeaten and three points clear of champions Arsenal at the top of the table, five ahead of third-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.

They are likely to still be top ​by the time of Sunday's match even if Arsenal beat Leeds United ⁠on Saturday, given the four-goal difference between them.

One contributor on the lfcreds.com website said the best response ​was for Liverpool to beat City on the field and the ‌fans to make their feelings heard inside Anfield ​on the day.

"Could this be one of the first games that pretty much everyone in the country wants us to win?," asked another.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)

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足球 - 联赛杯 - 第三轮 - 曼城对阵诺维奇 - 英国曼彻斯特伊蒂哈德球场 - 2026年9月17日 - 曼城主教练恩佐·马雷斯卡 - 路透社/菲尔·诺布尔

曼城将在周日客场挑战利物浦，这是他们因严重违反英超联赛财务规则而被判有罪后的首场比赛，届时他们将面临利物浦球迷的敌意。不过，这一判决会对领头羊曼城造成多大影响，目前尚不清楚。

粉丝聊天室里充斥着各种意见和谩骂，但这对于老对手之间的关系来说并不新鲜。

多年来，这起“虚假”商业合同案一直笼罩着英超联赛，在曼城提出上诉后，该案可能还会持续一段时间。

整个赛季下来，这种氛围究竟会蔓延到安菲尔德球场以及其他球场的看台上，还有待观察。

“如果他们想了解这场比赛将会有多么激烈，那么安菲尔德球场会让他们明白，那种场面你绝对想象不到，”前曼联队长兼英格兰后卫加里·内维尔最近在《重叠》播客节目中宣称。

“我估计现场会有横幅，肯定会有球迷高喊口号。他们在安菲尔德球场将会遭遇前所未有的待遇……这将是残酷的一天。”

默西塞德郡警方表示，当天将采取适当的警务行动。

其他评论员表示，自2023年2月曼城被英超联赛指控以来，利物浦球迷就一直称曼城为骗子。

周一，《曼彻斯特晚报》的头条新闻写道：“曼城球员已经知道，在指控风波之后，对手球迷会做什么。”

该报首席曼城记者写道：“曼城球员本周末恢复俱乐部比赛时，不一定会遇到任何新情况。”

“情况不会好受，但考虑到球员们已经习惯了这种辱骂，如果这件事让他们措手不及，那才叫人意外。”

曼城保持不败，在积分榜上领先卫冕冠军阿森纳3分，领先排名第三的布莱顿5分。

即使阿森纳在周六击败利兹联，考虑到两队之间四球的差距，他们很可能在周日的比赛时仍然位居榜首。

lfcreds.com 网站上的一位撰稿人表示，最好的回应是利物浦在球场上击败曼城，而球迷们则在比赛当天在安菲尔德球场内表达他们的感受。

“这会不会是全国几乎所有人都希望我们赢的第一场比赛呢？”另一位球迷问道。

（艾伦·鲍德温报道，埃德·奥斯蒙德编辑）

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