Liverpool Lunchtime Round-Up, Friday 9th October 2026: Man City's Guilty Verdict Dominates Build-Up to Huge Anfield Clash

Manchester City's guilty verdict on the majority of their 115 Premier League financial charges continues to overshadow Sunday's huge clash at Anfield (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool.com). Enzo Maresca has said his players won't be distracted by the off-field turmoil and that he trusts the club completely, while also making an admission about what to expect from a fired-up Anfield (Liverpool.com) (This Is Anfield) (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool Echo). Vincent Kompany has insisted City's players are "not a part of" any cheating (This Is Anfield), Erling Haaland has also issued his own statement ahead of the trip to Merseyside as a Premier League sanction nears (Liverpool Echo), and a Liverpool coach has said they "already knew" City were guilty, even suggesting their titles should be voided (This Is Anfield). Jamie Carragher has weighed in too, dismissing an "illogical" prediction for the game while warning that any City punishment will only raise expectations on Andoni Iraola at Liverpool (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool.com).

Ahead of the game, This Is Anfield reports that fans want Anfield turned into a "fortress" to show how they feel about facing City (This Is Anfield). Virgil van Dijk has outlined the "bare minimum" he expects from his Liverpool teammates (Liverpool.com), while also hinting in an emotional interview that his time at the club could be nearing its end (This Is Anfield). On a lighter note, van Dijk couldn't resist poking fun at Freddie Woodman's new look at training (Liverpool.com).

Team news is a big talking point, with Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo both doubts up front, opening the door for Lewis Koumas to potentially make his full Premier League debut against City (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool.com). Federico Chiesa has returned from injury, with This Is Anfield explaining Liverpool's training ritual (This Is Anfield), and Andoni Iraola addressed the press on the City game, injuries and his tactical dilemmas (Sky Sports) (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool Echo).

Elsewhere, former Reds midfielder Curtis Jones has suffered an injury setback at Inter Milan (Liverpool.com), and ex-boss Arne Slot has landed a new role with UEFA's Technical Observer Group following his Liverpool exit (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool.com). Liverpool fans may also be intrigued to hear that rivals Everton have been put up for sale by the Friedkin Group (Liverpool.com). Finally, memorabilia belonging to Liverpool legend Emlyn Hughes, including shirts swapped with football greats, is expected to fetch significant sums at auction (BBC Sport) (Liverpool Echo).

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.