Liverpool will have their ticket allocation cut by 20 per cent when they travel to the Etihad Stadium to face fierce rivals Manchester City.
Sportsmail understands that – in the wake of numerous incidents of trouble which included a 15-year-old girl being left 'scarred for life' – safety officials have decided to act ahead of the April 1 clash.
They have told City that Liverpool should be given 2,400 seats – a substantial drop from the 3,000 they would normally receive.
The move is not likely to go down well on Merseyside and may do little to calm the increasing tension between the two clubs.
While City declined to comment, it is thought that they have little option other than to abide by the recommendations of the safety advisory group, a collection of officials that includes the emergency services and which issues the certificate which permits matches to be played.
That group has decided to act after December's Carabao Cup clash saw the teenaged City fan struck by a pot weighted with coins that had been hurled from the visiting area.
A harrowing picture of the girl's bloodstained blue-and-white scarf later emerged on social media in what was the latest in a number of incidents at games between the two clubs amid a growing toxicity.
Last month, this newspaper revealed that City were considering bringing in netting to surround away fans at the Etihad on a 'case-by-case' basis. That netting will not be in place for next month's clash but remains under consideration.
Regardless, cutting the visitors' allocation by 600 is a significant act and one which highlights the issues between the two clubs who went toe-to-toe in title races in three of the previous four seasons.
Ahead of the Carabao Cup match both clubs appealed for calm. However, at a safety group meeting following the fixture it was disclosed that more than 50 reports of missiles being launched from the away end were made.
A 53-year-old, believed to be a City fan, was hospitalised after being assaulted outside the ground while disabled Liverpool fans were racially abused with a man arrested.
Previous matches have also faced issues. In 2018, Merseyside Police failed to make a single arrest after City's coach was hit by bottles, bricks and flares ahead of a Champions League quarter-final.
In 2021, City's bench complained they had been spat at during a match at Anfield while, at the last clash on Merseyside in October of last year, City manager Pep Guardiola complained that coins had been thrown at him.