Manchester City's return to Premier League action at Liverpool next Sunday will be unlike any fixture they have faced this season.
It is the first time Enzo Maresca's side will take the pitch since the verdict of the 115-case sparked an uproar that has reverberated around the football world. The match at Anfield, City's sixth league fixture of the campaign, now carries a weight far beyond the usual rivalry between the two clubs.
Gary Neville, speaking on The Overlap, painted a stark picture of what awaits. "If Manchester City want an understanding how angry the world of football is, then Anfield will tell them next week," he said. "In a way you would never believe. There will be banners, there will be chants, it will be a brutal day."
The players and staff will be the target for many. With the case still ongoing, the hostility is unlikely to be confined to the stands. For a squad that includes newcomers like Rayan Cherki, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi, this will be an entirely new experience.
City's captaincy group – Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marc Guehi – will be expected to lead the way. Dias, in particular, has the presence to be a figure of inspiration, while Donnarumma and Guehi have navigated difficult scenarios before. Haaland, a leader at the club, often cops it simply for being Haaland; he will be no stranger to the noise.
Enzo Fernandez, the Argentinian midfielder who is one of the most 'hated' players in football, is another who can play through it. But for the newer faces, Anfield will be a baptism by fire.
City are the villain of the piece in the eyes of many, and when domestic football returns next weekend, that will be on full display. The challenge for Maresca's men is to thrive in the inferno.