Liverpool fans sent ‘make it hell’ demand for Man City clash by Premier League winner (Exclusive)

Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has urged the Anfield faithful to make life uncomfortable for Manchester City when the sides meet on Sunday, insisting that supporters will be eager to remind Enzo Maresca's team of the ongoing controversy surrounding the club.

Manchester City travel to Anfield on Sunday amid heightened scrutiny following an independent commission's verdict on their alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules. 

City were found guilty of multiple breaches, but they deny wrongdoing and have appealed the decision, with the outcome of that appeal still pending.

The case has reignited debate about the impact of City's financial affairs on rival clubs, particularly Liverpool, who narrowly missed out on Premier League titles to the Cityzens during their recent period of dominance.

Speaking exclusively to FootballGroundGuide, Johnson expects the home crowd to make its feelings clear when the teams meet.

Johnson urges Liverpool fans to make life hell for Man City

“It will be hard because we know better than anyone when the Liverpool fans turn up at Anfield they are loud,” Johnson told FGG.

“Every home fan in that crowd is going to want to stick it to [Manchester] City, make it hell for them. Hopefully they do for the whole 90 minutes, and hopefully they enjoy it, and they get the result.”

Johnson, who played for Liverpool between 2009 and 2015, believes the controversy extends beyond Merseyside, arguing that other clubs have also been affected by the consequences of City's alleged financial rule-breaking.

“It’s not even just Liverpool who have been burned. But we’ve been fully done over because we didn’t cheat by £900m and only lost by two points,” he said.

“Imagine if we’d done the same, we could have bought three of the best players. That could have helped us win 10 points a year.”

The former England international also highlighted the potential impact on clubs fighting for survival or competing for European qualification, suggesting that narrow margins across the league make the issue relevant to a much wider group of supporters.

“It affects everybody. There have been teams that got relegated or missed out on this or this by small margins and have lost to City,” Johnson added.

“It’s not just Liverpool who were shafted but the fans won’t go easy on them.”

Glen Johnson expects Anfield crowd to make feelings clear

The former defender believes Sunday's atmosphere will reflect the frustration felt by supporters who believe financial-rule breaches can undermine the fairness of competition.

“If you cheat, you shaft everybody, so hopefully the Liverpool fans will sort of remind them of that at the weekend and have a good afternoon and make it hell,” Johnson said.

“Everyone’s going to enjoy sticking it to them. I think all the home and away fans will turn up for that game to give them some stick and rightly so.

“If you make your bed, you’ve got to lie in it.”

City's appeal means the commission's verdict remains subject to a further legal process, and no final outcome has yet been announced, but the Anfield faithful have now been urged to make their feelings known regardless of the appeal.

FGG Says: Anfield atmosphere could put Man City under extra pressure

Anfield has long been associated with intense atmospheres for major Premier League occasions, and the financial-rule controversy gives the home crowd another issue to rally around.

Johnson's comments reflects the anger some rival supporters feel about the case, particularly those who believe the outcome of previous title races and relegation battles may have been affected.

However, City's appeal remains unresolved, and the allegations and findings must be distinguished from any final decision on sanctions.

For Liverpool, the priority will be turning the noise in the stands into a positive performance on the pitch. The atmosphere could make the occasion uncomfortable for City, but the result will ultimately depend on what happens over the 90 minutes.

Glen Johnson was speaking to FGGon behalf of Live Football Tickets.