Man City Premier League charges hearing LIVE as Pep Guardiola slams rivals ahead of Arsenal game

Manchester City's hearing against the Premier League is approaching its second week with the club's lawyers fighting to prove their innocence against the 130 financial charges they allegedly breached since Monday.

February last year saw City charged with alleged breaches of financial rules spread across nine years between 2009 and 2018. Though other clubs have faced punishment for breaking profit and sustainability rules, as this is an unprecedented case, the possible punishments could be huge.

That means expulsion from the Premier League, the stripping of titles, points deductions and enormous fines are all possible. With the hearing now seven days old, more lawyers and experts are beginning to offer their thoughts with a new report suggesting players' agents are exploring options if the worst-case scenario plays out.

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola must keep his attention on matters regarding the football pitch, as City prepare to face Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon at the Etihad Stadium. That, though, has not stopped the City manager from offering a fresh defence of the club before that match.

The Manchester Evening News will have all of the latest updates as soon as they happen - so stay up to date and learn about the latest goings-on in the hearing in our live blog below...

Pep Guardiola couldn't resist a cheeky comment in the direction of Manchester City's Premier League rivals, joking that they want the Blues not just to be relegated from the top flight, but 'disappear off the face of the earth'.

Guardiola has been City's spokesperson on their 115 charges by nature of his position as manager, where he faces the media up to six times a week. On the eve of the club's trial, which started on