ANFIELD AWAITS: Liverpool vs Manchester City LIVE as rivals clash after Premier League charges bombshell

Hello and welcome to Mirror Football's live coverage of the Premier League game between Liverpool and Manchester City as domestic football makes its return this weekend.

The extended international break has been dominated by the news of the guilty verdict handed to Man City for 114 charges for breaches of Premier League financial rules. A Premier League statement confirmed that the panel had found City had used 'sham' sponsorship deals to inflate their revenue between 2009 and 2018.

City strongly deny the charges and have put in an appeal against the verdict. New regulations state that the hearing must be concluded within 12 weeks of the appeal being lodged.

If the verdict is upheld, then City could face a range of serious punishments, including points deductions, transfer bans, fines, or even expulsion from the Premier League. But while the wait goes on, so does the football.

City are in action for the first time since news of the verdict broke, as they travel to Anfield. It was a game that was already highly anticipated due to the recent history between the two clubs, but it should have even more of an edge now.

It's expected to be a red-hot atmosphere, with Liverpool fans expected to make their view on the situation clear before, during and after the match.

The fixture between Liverpool and City has always been one for any football fan to keep a close eye on, with many of the matches having a lot on the line.

Here's how the last 10 games between the two sides have gone:

4 April 2026 - Man City 4-0 Liverpool (FA Cup)

8 Feb 2026 - Liverpool 1 -2 Man City

9 Nov 2025 - Man City 3-0 Liverpool

23 Feb 2025 - Man City 0-2 Liverpool

1 Dec 2024 - Liverpool 2-0 Man City

10 March 2024 - Liverpool 1-1 Man City

25 Nov 2023 - Man City 1-1 Liverpool

1 April 2023 - Man City 4-1 Liverpool

22 Dec 2022 - Man City 3-2 Liverpool (League Cup)

Chris Sutton is one of a few pundits to make his prediction for the match. Despite the atmosphere expected, he is backing City to come out on top.

"I've heard people suggest that City's players will be frazzled because of what is going on with the club off the pitch, but I don't see it that way," he told BBC Sport.

"I suspect that, along with the City fans, there will be this siege mentality now where they think 'everyone hates us, everyone wants us to lose, everyone wants us to be relegated' - even if I don't think that is actually the case, because there are actually a lot of balanced football fans out there.

"City are likely to get a hostile reception at Anfield but I think they will be able to handle it.

"Liverpool are still a work in progress under Andoni Iraola too. They have not convinced me so far when I've watched them this season.

"Based on all of that, I am going for City here. I can just picture Erling Haaland scoring their winner, and celebrating with a big grin on his face."

One of the latest reports from the last few days suggests that Man City 'held settlement talks' with the Premier League before the commission issued its guilty verdict.

Bloomberg states that the club held talks over a possible 'early-stage settlement', but the discussions broke down. It's added that any agreement would have been a hefty financial penalty instead of punishments which could include stripping of titles and relegation.

City continue to maintain their innocence and have put in an appeal against the guilty verdict.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has said the fixture couldn't be 'better' for the Reds as they return to Premier League action.

Speaking to the club website, he said:

"Our Premier League campaign resumes and, in my opinion, we could not have a better fixture with which to do so. After a longer gap than usual between league matches, we are all really looking forward to this game, a big and important test for us against the league leaders.

"I know that the atmosphere will be amazing, as it always is at Anfield, and hopefully we can build on the progress we made before the international break with another good performance and result."

He added: "This is a club which must always compete for everything, and which demands the highest standards, every single day. That’s not a pressure, it’s a privilege, and it is one we all enjoy as Liverpool players.

Hello and welcome.

The Premier League is back, and it's back to matters on the pitch for both Liverpool and Manchester City. The game is going on amid the news of City being found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules.

It's expected to be an intense atmosphere at Anfield, and we'll bring you all of the latest right here.

Today10:31 BSTLiverpool are ready The Reds' official X (formerly Twitter) account has shared a montage building up to the game. It's one that will certainly get supporters up for the occasion.Content cannot be displayed without consentCommentsAmie Wilson