THE first phase of the huge legal battle that will determine Liverpool FC’s future will begin tomorrow.

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is taking its case to the High Court for an application hearing in the Chancery Division. Read their statement in full by clicking here.

Today, the ECHO has learnt this is NOT the declaratory judgement, which the Reds are seeking, that they acted validly by approving the £300m sale of the club to New England Sports Ventures.

And we can reveal how RBS successfully took out an interim injunction on Friday to stop co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett attempting to make any further changes at Anfield.

Tomorrow’s hearing was expected to list Liverpool Football Club among the interested parties.

But the case brought by Reds chairman Martin Broughton is now expected to take place later in the week.

This separate but related matter is listed at London’s High Court as ‘The Royal Bank of Scotland vs Hicks and others.’

Lawyers for the RBS are set to argue that Hicks and Gillett acted in breach of the written undertakings agreed at the last refinancing round, in April.

The bank's barristers are understood to be insisting the co-owners' move - to remove Christian Purslow and Ian Ayre from the board at last Tuesday’s explosive meeting and replace them with Mack Hicks and Lori Kay McCutcheon - was invalid.