Manchester City have changed their season-ticket policy in a bid to prevent seats for the Premier League showdown with Liverpool from being sold on the black market.
Tickets for the game at the Etihad on April 9 are being sold for almost £2,000 by one online provider that boasts of having secured 300 seats for the game.
That package includes a hospitality package in the section of the stadium reserved for home fans - which may tempt Liverpool supporters given that tickets for seats in the away end are being sold for a staggering £1,600 without any VIP add-ons.
Sunday Mirror Sport understands that thousands of tickets have already fallen into the hands of unscrupulous scouts and agencies. City have tried to address the situation by contacting season-ticket holders who are unable to attend the game to inform them that they have changed their ticket exchange policy for the fixture.
Normally if fans can’t be at the game, they can use a ticket exchange function that hands their seat back to the club. If City are then able to sell it on, the supporters receives a payment equal to 1/19th of the price they are paying for their season ticket. For the Liverpool game, the club will take all available tickets and make an instant refund regardless of whether it then gets sold on.
The most inexpensive seats at the Etihad can be bought for between £50 and £60 for the highest profile games. The cheapest ticket to be found online came in at more than £315 before a booking fee was added on.
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City currently lead the Premier League by a point from Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp’s men cut the champions’ 14-point advantage at the top by winning games in hand as Pep Guardiola’s have faltered.
Liverpool will go top if they take a point against Watford in the lunchtime kick-off at Anfield on Saturday, with City travelling to Burnley later in the day. Six days later, the two clubs meet each other again in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
