Manuel Akanji calls Anfield atmosphere 'weird' - 'Is it always like this here?'

Manuel Akanji has shared his thoughts on playing at Anfield following Liverpool vs. Manchester City, claiming Borussia Dortmund's stadium is louder.

The Swiss defender started in his side's 1-0 defeat to Liverpool last Sunday.

He's since recalled the experience of playing at Liverpool's legendary home, saying he thought it was 'weird'.

Akanji states that it was 'so quiet' when they entered the stadium for the warm-up and spoke to Erling Haaland about it.

The 27-year-old then asked Riyad Mahrez if it's 'always like this' at Anfield before kick-off.

Liverpool fans celebrate at Anfield. Image: Alamy

Asked about his Anfield experience, the Man City player told The Daily Mail: "It’s funny that you ask. Because before the game, when we walked into the stadium for our warm-up, it was so quiet. No booing or anything. I told Erling I thought it was weird. I expected it would be really crowded and the mood against us. But I felt nothing at all.

"We came back in before the game and I talked to Riyad Mahrez as well. He was sitting right next to me. I was like, 'Is it always like this here? Everybody talks so highly of Anfield and I don’t really see it'.

"He just told me to wait until the game started and then when it did, I was like a different atmosphere completely. Particularly in the second half when our goal was disallowed and they scored. It was really, really loud then."

Akanji continued by comparing Anfield to his former home of the Signal Iduna Park.

"Not as loud as Dortmund," he added. "How many are there at Anfield? 50,000? There are 81,000 at Dortmund so maybe it’s not fair to compare. But it is a great feeling at Anfield. The people are really close to the pitch and it was a great atmosphere for them and I like to play in that.

"I just hate the fact we lost because we shouldn’t have lost it and also because of the way the goals went."