Man City Planning Guard of Honour for Liverpool at Etihad Stadium
By Tom Gott
Manchester City are expected to give Liverpool a guard of honour when the two teams meet at the Etihad Stadium next Thursday.
City's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea ensured the runaway leaders could not be caught at the top of the table, bringing Liverpool their first Premier League title and first top-flight honour since the 1989/90 campaign.
Traditionally, the champions are usually given a guard of honour ahead of their next fixture, and the Manchester Evening News note that City intend to do so for Jürgen Klopp's side. Although, whether social distancing guidelines will prevent it remains to be seen.
Current rules state that both teams must exit the tunnel separately to ensure they do not come close to one another (even though the players all collide once the referee blows his whistle), which would make a guard of honour fairly impractical.
City intend to meet with Premier League officials to discuss what they can do to show respect towards Liverpool, and they may find that a socially distanced guard of honour could be created specifically for this moment.
WE’RE PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!! ? pic.twitter.com/qX7Duxoslm
— Liverpool FC (Premier League Champions ?) (@LFC) June 25, 2020
Even if a guard of honour is deemed impossible, City plan on finding an alternative way to congratulate Liverpool on becoming champions in record time... sort of.
The game is still expected to be a fierce affair. The two teams have embraced their professional rivalry over the last few seasons, and with Liverpool still looking to shatter City's record haul of 100 points, Klopp's men will undoubtedly keep their foot on the gas pedal.
As for City, their focus is currently on Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final clash with Newcastle United, in which Guardiola's side will look to continue their reign of terror in cup competitions.
The Carabao Cup and Community Shield are already in City's trophy cabinet this season, while they also remain in the Champions League and have one foot in the quarter-final thanks to a 2-1 win over Real Madrid before football was postponed.