Enzo Maresca has a request for City fans ahead of Saturday's visit of Ipswich: bring bananas. Inflatable ones, ideally.
The City manager admitted he was unaware of the tradition until last weekend's match against Liverpool, and now he wants to see the fruit return to the stands. "I didn't know the history behind the banana before last weekend's Liverpool match," he said. "I hope tomorrow I can see many bananas in the stadium."
The banana has a long and rather unlikely association with City. Back in the 1987-88 season, when the club had been demoted to the second tier of English football, a fan brought a massive inflatable banana to Maine Road to lighten the mood of those expecting losses. It became a symbol of defiance and humour in a grim period, and it has popped up sporadically ever since.
Maresca's side go into the game with a perfect 6-0 start in the Premier League, and fans are already dreaming of another title. The Blues are still undefeated in the top flight, though they were relatively dominated by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Ipswich, meanwhile, arrive at the Etihad with three losses from their first six matches. Their white and blue colours mean there will be no clash with the banana inflatables, which is presumably a relief to the kit department.
Saturday's match is at home in east Manchester, and with the club currently appealing charges after being found guilty of breaking financial fair play rules, a bit of levity might not go amiss. If you're heading to the game, dig out that inflatable banana. Maresca is asking nicely.