What reception awaits Man City at Anfield? — SkimNews
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- Manchester City face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday top of the Premier League with five straight wins — the first such meeting since 2015 without Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola on either touchline, with Enzo Maresca now in the City dugout.
- Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola called the fixture "exciting" and said "we have to be ready" for an open game against the league leaders, adding that Liverpool chairman Tom Werner will be in attendance.
- Maresca said City's titles are "absolutely not" tainted after an independent commission found the club guilty of the majority of the 115 Premier League charges the league had brought against them; a verdict on City's appeal is still pending.
- Liverpool fans are preparing banners, flags, and a social-media-advertised "Bus Greeting" on Anfield Road, with one post suggesting supporters bring stacks of fake money as Merseyside Police confirmed an "appropriate policing plan" is in place.
- Liverpool finished second to City in 2013-14, 2018-19 (97 points), and 2021-22 (92 points), losing each title race by a single point — a record former Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg told The Athletic meant his side "could have been four" title winners.
Why it matters: Sunday is the first opportunity for Liverpool supporters to direct frustration in person at the side convicted by the independent commission, converting a routine league match into an emotionally charged occasion. Iraola gets a high-profile test in his early tenure, while Maresca's unbeaten start faces its sternest examination against a Liverpool side that lost three title races to City by a single point each.
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