Manchester City and Liverpool warn fans ahead of latest clash in toxic rivalry

Liverpool fans ambushed the Manchester City team bus with flares and flares ahead of the 2018 Champions League quarter-final at Anfield. Photo: Reuters/Carl Recine

Manchester City and Liverpool have written to their fans for the second time in less than a year, urging them to behave ahead of Saturday's match at Etihad Stadium.

Both clubs were desperate to end the toxic atmosphere that overshadowed recent meetings between the teams, and again decided to appeal to the fans to prevent the threat of new troubles.

This was the case last month. The announced kick-off was moved to 12:30 pm because the local safety advisory group, which includes police, refused permission for the 5:30 pm kick-off.

This upset Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who spoke out about the high-profile game being played on Saturday lunchtime after the international break, which is likely to feature many players returning from South America.

< p>However, authorities hope an early start to the match will minimize the risk of trouble, with City and Liverpool warning their fans that bad behavior will be punished. City are understood to have highlighted the problems of tragedy chanting, while Liverpool mentioned the problems of flare throwing.

Last December, a 15-year-old girl and City fan was left scarred for life, according to her father, after she was hit by a plastic coin tin thrown from the away section at the Etihad during a League Cup match. . It was one of more than 50 reports of missiles being fired during that game.

Two months earlier, Liverpool's 1-0 win over City at Anfield had turned ugly and violent. City claimed that coach Pep Guardiola had coins thrown at him during a game and that their team bus was attacked away from Anfield, as happened during the teams' Champions League quarter-final meeting in 2018.

Liverpool condemned City fans' chants mocking the Hillsborough disaster and graffiti painted at the away stadium about the tragedy that claimed 97 lives.

The scenes starred City chief executive Ferran Soriano and fellow Liverpool man Billy. Hogan will write a joint letter to supporters warning that they will ban any fans found guilty of «inappropriate behavior» as part of the crackdown.