ancient Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola is expected to attend the match against the home team Champions League winners Paris St-Germain next week in a show of support for their former employers.
Guardiola, 55, left the club at the end of last season after a trophy-laden spell in charge which saw him win the treble in 2023.
Since then, the city has been rocked by the news that an independent commission found them guilty of 114 counts of financial malpractice.
The club have appealed against the decision, but their future in the Premier League remains uncertain.
After the ruling, Guardiola backed City’s owners and management and said he would “always” stand behind the club.
“I want every Manchester City fan around the world to know I’m here – more than ever,” he posted on social media.
“I am, always have been, always will be behind my club, my owner, my president, Ferran (Soriano), the players, the staff, Enzo (Maresca) and you, our unique supporters.
“Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”
The Premier League announced last week that the commission found the club had systematically broken the rules with “sham” contracts designed to inflate income and cut costs.
The scale of the fraud, which is reported to have amounted to more than £900m, was staggering and a range of sanctions are now on the table. The City has continued to deny any wrongdoing and filed an appeal on Friday after declaring the verdict “unsafe”.
