Man City's bus was damaged before the club's Champions League match at Liverpool in April.GETTY IMAGES
Man City will keep its "route into Anfield a secret" this weekend, even though it was reassured by Merseyside Police that there will be "no repeat of the ugly scenes that allowed supporters to attack the team bus" on the club's last visit, according to Luke Edwards of the London TELEGRAPH. Man City's coach had a window smashed and sustained "thousands of pounds worth of damage" when it was greeted outside Anfield ahead of its 3-0 Champions League quarterfinal defeat in April. No Liverpool supporters have been charged with an offense by police "despite a six-month long investigation." Although the incident was not directly blamed for Man City's "off-colour display" that night, it was an "undeniably hostile reception which left many on the bus feeling shaken" and many Man City employees angered by the behavior. Man City has held a number of meetings with officers from Merseyside Police in the last few weeks and sources indicated it is "happy with the reassurances" it has been given and "can only trust there will be no repeat of the attack." Merseyside Police promised Man City the bus will be protected, "with more uniformed officers lining the streets around the stadium" before kickoff on Sunday. It is also understood that the precise route the team bus plans to take into Anfield will remain a "secret" after it was made public earlier this year, supposedly, "to try and help avoid traffic congestion" (TELEGRAPH, 10/3).
