Manchester City News LIVE: Latest court case as club faces Premier League expulsion

Pep Guardiola recently admitted that Premier League clubs would be keen to see City penalised for their alleged rule breaches.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has claimed that several English Premier League clubs have told him they want City to be sanctioned.

Asked about Tebas' comments last week, Guardiola said: “Maybe he is right and every team in the Premier League wants that. I agree with Tebas for the first time and maybe the last.”

“That's why I say to Mr Tebas and the Premier League teams: wait for the independent panel. I know what people are looking for, I know what they expect because I've known it for many, many years.

“I said that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Justice exists in a modern democracy, so wait for the decision, it's not more complicated than that.

“I don't know if he's a lawyer or if the other Premier League teams are, but we've had this problem with UEFA on a number of occasions. We go to an independent panel and we wait.”

Premier League teams want City to be convicted if they are found guilty of most or all of the charges they face, according to The Telegraph.

Many teams are said to feel that a points deduction, even if it results in City being relegated, would be too lenient.

A senior official has reportedly called for points deductions to be applied over several seasons if City are found to have broken the rules.

The independent panel would not have the power to directly relegate City to a specific division as it has no jurisdiction over the EFL or National League.

The committee could, however, decide to expel City from the Premier League, an extreme sanction that would have significant repercussions.

A series of sanctions would be in place if City were found guilty by the independent panel.

They could be deducted points, given an unlimited fine or even expelled from the Premier League, perhaps midway through the season, but that would be an extreme punishment.

A decision is unlikely to be made before next year, although it is expected to come before the end of the current season.

The Premier League has accused City of breaking rules for nine seasons by allegedly failing to provide accurate financial information.

They allegedly failed to fully disclose the financial compensation paid to one of their managers over a four-year period.

The Premier League also alleges City failed to comply with UEFA's financial fair play rules over a five-year period.

City have also been accused of failing to fully cooperate with the Premier League's investigation into their financial dealings.

They have categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Welcome to Express Sport's continuing coverage of the latest Manchester City news on day one of their historic Premier League clash.

The hearing will be held entirely behind closed doors at an undisclosed location, meaning concrete details will be scarce.

We will nevertheless bring you everything we know about what is being called the “trial of the century”.

Stay tuned…