Man City takes drastic measure to avoid raucous welcome from Liverpool fans at Anfield

Manchester City players resorted to drastic measures in order to avoid Liverpool fans on their way to Anfield on Sunday.

The Reds host Pep Guardiola’s side in a huge game at the top of the Premier League as they look to press their advantage in the title race. Arne Slot’s stars could go 11 points clear of City if they claim an 18th win in their 20th outing of the season so far.

City would dearly love to boast a record like that, with Guardiola enduring the worst run of his managerial career at the moment. His side is without a win in its last six games in all competitions, having recently lost five games in a row.

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That run of defeats came to an end in the Champions League in midweek, although not in the manner they would have hoped. City threw away a 3-0 lead at home to Feyenoord on Tuesday as Slot’s former side staged a remarkable comeback to claim a draw, and left Guardiola in disbelief.

A trip to Anfield then might have been the last thing City players would have wanted today, and the defending Premier League champions had to take special measures in order to avoid any Liverpool fans on their way into Anfield.

Previous meetings between the two sides have seen clashes with supporters, with fans throwing objects at City’s team bus in recent years. The Etihad side avoided any such issues this time though as the bus entered Anfield through the back door, with police not letting supporters near it as it made its way to the ground.

Police had already requested for the match to be brought forward in order to ease safety concerns, with the game kicking off half an hour earlier than usual at 4pm (11am ET/8am PT).

The two sides have confirmed their teams for the clash today, with Slot making four changes following the midweek win over Real Madrid. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez come in for the injured Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo replace Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez.

Guardiola, meanwhile, makes a huge call with his side as usual No.1 Ederson is dropped, with Stefan Ortega deputizing in goal. Ruben Dias returns at the center of the defense, while Rico Lewis replaces Jack Grealish in the only other change from the midweek draw with Feyenoord.