Manchester City face a hostile reception at Liverpool on Sunday in their first outing since being found guilty of over 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules, while Arsenal aim to bounce back at home to Leeds following a rare defeat.
City’s transformation into the dominant force in English football since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover 18 years ago has cost Liverpool more than most.
The charges labelled against City cover the period between 2009 and 2018, but the foundations they built in that time ensured they remained the Premier League’s top dogs during the bulk of Pep Guardiola’s subsequent time in charge.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool twice missed out on the title to Guardiola’s side despite amassing over 90 points.
Those battles to be crowned champions of England over the past decade have turned this fixture into the Premier League’s marquee match-up and the eyes of the football world will be on Anfield again on Sunday.
City have won every game since Enzo Maresca replaced Guardiola, but their title challenge is likely to be ruined by a sanction unless they can overturn the verdict of an independent commission.
Meanwhile, defending champions Arsenal are aiming to strike back when Leeds visit Emirates Stadium in Saturday’s early kick-off.
A perfect start to the campaign for Arsenal ended in dramatic fashion with a 3-0 defeat at Brighton in their last outing.
Maresca: Man City’ll win appeal over Premier League financial charges
However, developments in the City case have reinforced the Gunners as bookies’ favourites to retain the title.
Manager Mikel Arteta extended his contract till 2030 this week and is determined that a first league title in 22 years is only the beginning of a golden age for Arsenal.
“This is only the beginning of what we can achieve together,” Arteta said.
Below are Premier League fixtures for the weekend:
Saturday
Arsenal v Leeds
Aston Villa v Brentford
Chelsea v Bournemouth
Ipswich v Fulham
Sunderland v Brighton
Manchester United v Tottenham
Sunday
Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest
Hull v Everton
Liverpool v Manchester City
Monday
Coventry v Newcastle
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