Enzo Maresca has admitted he is "very calm" and his Manchester City players are "focused" on Sunday's Premier League trip to Liverpool, despite the club's guilty charges verdict.
Guilty verdict and appeal
On September 30, the Premier League confirmed that City have been found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of its financial regulations between 2009/10 and 2017/18. They said that City artificially inflated revenue by more than £900million through 'sham' sponsorship deals.
City, however, have denied any wrongdoing and appealed the decision on October 1. In a statement, the club said they are "innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League" and have "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" to support their case.
Maresca's message to players
Despite the noise surrounding City, Maresca has insisted his players are "excited" and ready for their first game since the club were found guilty, as they make the trip to Liverpool on Sunday.
"Personally I'm very calm to be honest," Maresca told City's website. "The club has been quite clear. We trust completely the club.
"We understand the noise but the focus for us is just what we can control and we can control just the football side. The feeling is fantastic, to be honest. The players are excited for the next two games. But especially they are excited because in this moment we are top of the league."
The players are just focused on that. They know what we can control is the football side – they are not worried at all about different things.
"They know their profession and they know that the noise is there but they don’t care too much about the noise. They are just focused in this moment on how we can bear Liverpool and how, together with the fans, we can try to win in Anfield."
