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Preview: Manchester City braced for 'fiery greeting' from Liverpool fans ahead of huge clash
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Published 04/04/2018 at 11:53 GMT+1
Plans by Liverpool fans to give Manchester City's team coach a fiery welcome to Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final have been shrugged off by midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and manager Pep Guardiola.
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Fiery greeting
The big off-the-pitch talking point ahead of the all-English Champions League match is what the Liverpool fans are planning to do to ensure that City's players and staff have a crazy arrival at Anfield.
A Liverpool fan group has circulated on social media a call for fans to line the streets around Anfield: "Bring your flares and flags. Banners and bangers. Pints and pyros", read the message which urged supporters to show City "exactly what money can't buy".
A similar "coach greeting" was created by Liverpool fans before the all-English semi-final with Chelsea in the Champions League in 2005, won by the Merseyside club.
Follow the match with us - kick-off at 19:45
De Bruyne 'loves the passion'
Asked what he felt about the prospect of such a welcome, City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said: "I expect nothing less. I like to play at big stadiums and big crowds - it’s what it’s all about.
"I love the passion. There is a lot of passion in football and if you see the passion in the crowd you have to try to manage it," added the Belgian.
Guardiola urges 'polite' behaviour
City manager Pep Guardiola said he hoped the Liverpool fans would keep their welcome within limits.
"The people suggest what is going to happen, but we haven't lived it yet," said the former Barcelona coach.
"We are here and we have come to play a game, I hope everyone can be correct and polite and (it is) just a game, a sport, people cannot forget that.
"(In Spain) they had the police to spread out the people. The fans cannot be too much in front of you. Here the streets are narrow. We will see. Hopefully it's going to go well and Liverpool fans can show their history speaks for itself."
Klopp delight with fans
Jurgen Klopp is delighted by the passion that his fans are poised to show at Anfield - as long as it stays within bounds.
"It's wonderful, it's great, it shows everything, it shows the passion. As long as it happens in a legal way, I'm completely fine with it," he said.
Team news
Liverpool have issues in their back line with Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan all sidelined.
Indeed, Klopp's only available senior centre-backs are Dejan Lovren and Virgil van Dijk.
Adam Lallana is out with the hamstring strain he suffered at Crystal Palace on Saturday, while Emre Can is not expected to return from his back injury.
City striker Sergio Aguero has been ruled out with a knee injury having missed the past five games for club and country.
"Sergio is much better but doctors spoke to him today and he said he still has a little bit of a problem and isn't comfortable," Guardiola said.
Defender John Stones should be available again after suffering a head injury and left-back Fabian Delph is poised to return.
Match facts
Additional reporting by Reuters, stats provided by Opta
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