Anfield can be the most threatening environment in the Premier League for any team to come to, but this weekend the roof of the stadium as Manchester City can come to town. When City discovered that the Premier League had breached the rules of the independent financial commission, everyone around the league weighed in with opinions on what to do next. They called the city. The series covers 2009-10 to 2017-18, a period in which Liverpool finished as Premier League runners-up in 2013-14.
This season, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool were just two points behind Manuel Pellegrini’s City, with both teams scoring a whopping 100 plus goals in the league. Anfield never forgets, and the air could echo in 2018, when Liverpool take on Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals. The stadium was not only a red wall, but also the access to it, which Guardiola admitted, the players reach. Even if this was common, the unbeaten City side would be facing a hostile atmosphere with Liverpool facing a top-four finish.
How to watch Liverpool vs. Manchester City, odds?
Date: Sunday, Oct. 11 Time: 11:30 am ET
Location: Anfield — Liverpool
TV: NBC | live stream Fubo TV (Try for free)
Discord: Liverpool +170; They draw +260; Manchester city + 145
Anfield has also not seen Premier League football in almost a month due to scheduling and a long three-week international break combined. The last game at home was a draw with Fulham, as was enough in the past, that the Reds are ready to see the Reds again, and more than ready to respond to the Urbi.
1. Can the state withstand the pressure?
The immense pressure on Enzo Maresca and the City squad comes to the match to show that the off-field issues are there to be kept, and the City boss has already called his support in the club conference.
“We all need to be together. I have said many times that the reason this organization has been at the top in the last 15 years is because the owner, the CEO, the sporting director, the manager, the players, the fans, are all on the same page. And this is fantastic,” Maresca said.
He added that his team will be ready, but also that the fans need to be calm about the issues on the field. It’s one thing to say it, but it’s another thing to run back in hostile air. Social media has been buzzing with people’s thoughts on City, and while the players can ignore it, they can’t ignore the screams and taunts from the Kop for 90 plus minutes.
There is a time when players can join the club, but with thoughts of what comes next in their heads, this slide could easily become the first step of the spiral. It’s hard to predict which way things will pan out, but that’s exactly why it’s such a huge match, especially with Champions League football just around the corner, Paris Saint-Germain coming to town on Wednesday. The city cannot ask for a much tougher return from the international break than what they are going to get.
How do Liverpool fans react?
The pressure will be relentless from the moment they enter Liverpool City until the moment they leave. The city was already a team that the Premier League sides did not like, when victory can put a target on your back, now that even the methods of the said success in question, everyone is for blood. There couldn’t be a worse place to go in the city than Anfield. Even against Manchester United, there would be financial concerns for Manchester if City were to be kicked out of the Premier League. The Red Devils may not be as loud as their neighbors, but when it comes to Manchester as a whole, they are the better of the two clubs who are succeeding and competing for friendly honours.
There is no such purchase at Liverpool, a club with deep roots in the working class. The money on the rope from the United Arab Emirates is meant to be exactly the opposite of what the Anfield faithful stand for, which only adds to the animosity that will be present at the stadium. How City respond will be critical, as losing here starts an internal spiral, and that’s exactly what the Reds are hoping for. Although the punishment is urgent, the question is open, whether the victories and losses of the city are also huge deductions, or whether the exaction has also been handed down.
The home fixtures at Anfield are already big things, but combined with the fervor of soccer’s return and the occasion, this will be something for the ages.
What should I do to help the trip?
Former City manager Pep Guardiola will be at the Etihad for the Champions League this week to show his support for his old club and continue his claim of innocence, but that doesn’t mean the trip will be in support of Anfield. Maresca asked their supporters, but will they be unanimous in that? It’s common for fans to dislike ownership, but it’s also difficult to gauge where City fans are on charges.
While many fans maintain the innocence of the city, as it is the current property, public announcements do not always reflect real life, and if the city is absent the support team does not come, this will be an even longer game than if the players can draw for their help among the red sea, which most certainly will not be in the corner. City owners are likely to be faced with the possible option of selling the club, depending on which penalties are issued and whether they would lose the support of their most loyal supporters, is likely to play a role in that decision.
This is also a small test that the city can return home, which can be rocky. So far what is not yet known will become clearer on Sunday.