Premier League clubs could be closing in on a return; Liverpool vs Man City, Andy Robertson (Peter Byrne/PA)

Man City vs. Liverpool WILL be played at the Etihad after safety concerns

Liverpool’s clash with Man City on July 2 will be held at the Etihad, with the Manchester City Council deeming the Premier League fixture safe to go ahead at the stadium.

The Reds’ trip to City was still deemed ‘TBC’ with just over a week to go, as the only remaining game in the 2019/20 season yet to be given a definitive venue.

But after talks between both clubs and safety advisory groups, it has now been confirmed that Man City vs. Liverpool will go ahead at the Etihad.

This comes after the first 19 games since the Premier League‘s restart have played out without issue, including City’s home clashes with Arsenal and Burnley, the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and Liverpool’s return to Anfield.

If City beat Chelsea on Thursday night, this fixture could be the title-decider, and this has already been factored into consideration when sanctioning the Etihad as venue.

A victory for Pep Guardiola’s side at Stamford Bridge would mean a win or a draw for Liverpool on July 2 would be enough to seal the Premier League title.

It would be fitting to do so at City’s stadium, given they are reigning champions and have engaged in a growing rivalry with the Reds in recent years, including pipping them to the title by a single point in 2018/19.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (left) and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hug after the final whistle during the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool.

Speaking ahead of the decision, Klopp urged those involved to allow the game to be played at the Etihad, as “otherwise it would be really difficult to organise.”

“The City stadium is pretty well-located to close it down, if somebody would be there it would not be close to the stadium,” he argued.

“But I don’t see that. The whole period which we are in showed that the massive majority of people really behaved responsibly and serious, and took the situation how it is.

“The discipline level is probably higher than ever before, so I was not worried about that.

“I know football fans since I’m five years old, and 98 percent of them are completely fine and have the same view on life as I have and love similar things that I do.

“In this moment in time I was not worried about that, but maybe I don’t know enough about it. I hope that we can do it there.”