Erling Haaland has called for unity amid the uncertainty at Manchester City after the club were found guilty of serious financial breaches of Premier League rules.

City maintain their innocence and have appealed the decision but if that fails, a hefty sanction is expected. Players have sought reassurances over the past fortnight since the news was announced but most only returned to the club on Thursday after international duty.

City travel to Liverpool on Sunday where they can expect a vicious reception.

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“We have to stick together,” the striker told Sky Sports News. “We have to stay with each other, and we have to stay positive.

“No matter what happens in life, we always have to have a smile. So we have to stay positive, look ahead, and try to win football games and try to enjoy the situation and win the game. We have to stick together; we have to spread the love to each other. So yeah: stick together, and enjoy the ride and smile.”

The striker is following his father Alf-Inge, who played for City in a less successful era, so has witnessed the changes that have come since the takeover in 2008. “I care a lot about City, I have to say,” he added. “I care a lot about the fans because I’m a fan myself, and I feel with them as well.”

Pep Guardiola is expected to attend City’s first home match since they were found guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.

It would be the former head coach’s first return since leaving in the summer after 10 years. Guardiola’s attendance is regarded as a show of support for City’s hierarchy after the guilty verdict that has rocked the club.

Guardiola wrote on social media last week: “I want every single fan to know I am here; more than ever. I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran [Soriano, the CEO], the players, staff, Enzo [Maresca, the head coach] and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”

The Catalan took on a role as a City Football Group ambassador when he departed as head coach. Guardiola was a close ally of Soriano, who brought him to Manchester, the pair having worked together at Barcelona.

Guardiola faced regular questions during his tenure over City’s financial conduct after they were charged by the Premier League in 2023 and always reiterated his belief in what he was told by those above him. City deny wrongdoing and have appealed against the verdict of an independent commission.

On Sunday City play at Liverpool in their first game since the verdict was announced. It is expected to be a fiery occasion, with the animosity between the clubs heightened after the judgment.

Meanwhile, his former Real Madrid rival José Mourinho joked that he may not live to see ⁠the end of City’s legal battle. Mourinho managed Manchester United from 2016 and led them to a second-placed Premier League finish behind Pep Guardiola’s City in 2018.

“I would rather ‌laugh about it,” Mourinho said, when asked about the case in an interview with Italy’s Corriere dello Sport. “I ​think we will eventually get an ending, but we are both in our 60s [Guardiola is actually 55] and we’ll need to be lucky enough to still be around when the final verdict arrives. There will be a verdict, ⁠then appeals, then more appeals.”