FA Cup champions Liverpool will take on Premier League winners Manchester City in this year’s Community Shield curtain raiser before the new season.
These two teams came within a minute of playing each other in the UEFA Champions League final last year and battled it out for the league crown up until the final kick of the campaign.
They have only ever met twice in a Community Shield, with Man City winning on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Wembley in 2019. Their rivalry received a lot of attention last season during the race for the Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have increased awareness of the requirements for success in English football. It would be prudent to avoid attaching too much significance to the outcome of a match that is essentially just another friendly, but given the rivalry between the two teams – and the two managers, to boot – this is a very different situation.
Form Guide: Liverpool
Liverpool finished in second place in the Premier League standings last season and is currently in the midst of a transition. The Merseyside outfit suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of RB Salzburg last week and have plenty of work to do ahead of this fixture. Klopp has confirmed both Alisson Becker and Diogo Jota will miss the game as they continue their recoveries from injury.
With Jota injured, Darwin Nunez has an even better chance of making his debut on English soil for the club, while Adrian will come in for Alisson given Caoimhin Kelleher is also struggling for fitness.
Form Guide: Manchester City
Last season, City participated in the Community Shield, but sadly, they returned to Manchester with a defeat after former City player Kelechi Iheanacho converted a penalty in the 89th minute to give Leicester a 1-0 win at Wembley.
Erling Haaland will likely join Nunez in making his first appearance for his new club in England. The forward scored in his first game against Bayern Munich, although has been suffering from slight niggles, so it’s not clear as to how heavily he will be involved.
This preseason, Manchester City has had great success, winning every game they played. This encounter tonight might be another straight victory for the City club.
How the game could go
Going into the new season, these two teams are once again considered the favorites to win the Premier League. Their final meeting in the Community Shield was a blast and a tasty appetizer for the subsequent campaign. Hopefully, there won’t be any differences in this game.
Liverpool are more prepared than Man City and even have a game at home against Strasbourg the day following this match, whilst Pep Guardiola’s team have only played in two friendlies so far. Since the result of this contest is usually decided by the tiniest of margins, Liverpool’s additional friendlies this summer might just give them the advantage.
The two sides both have a new attacking threat in the form of Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez, so it’ll be really interesting to see how these two match up in their first competitive fixture at their new clubs. There will no doubt be comparisons between these two powerhouses all year – so what better way to kick off the debate than an early battle for a trophy?
Betting Predictions
Both Teams to Score (YES)
Given that both teams have scored in each of these clubs’ previous five meetings, there is considerable temptation to wager on goals at both ends. Over 2.5 goals have been scored in each of the last four encounters between these two teams, and both teams have scored. In five of Man City’s past six games across all competitions and four of Liverpool’s last six games, at least three goals have been scored. In four of City’s previous five games, both teams have netted goals. This brings us to our upcoming choice. Bet9ja have 1.60, 1xbet have 1.68 and Paripesa have 1.68 odds.
Over 2.5 Goals
As mentioned previously, there is a very high possibility that the score margin would exceed the over 2.5 barriers today as both sides are expected to score. The previous time this match was played away from Wembley, at Villa Park in 2012, City defeated Chelsea in a five-goal thriller. However, this match has recently produced several low-scoring contests, with none of the last five yielding more than two goals (W 3-2). They fell to Liverpool by the same amount in the FA Cup semifinal back in April, marking the fourth straight head-to-head with more than 3.5 goals. Bet9ja have 1.76 odds, Paripesa have 1.90 and 1xbet have 1.90 odds.
Anytime Goalscorer (Liverpool)
Mo Salah
Mohamed Salah started against Arsenal in this game in 2020 and the Egyptian is likely to be involved from the off on Saturday. Salah should be on spot-kick duties and is always a contender for an anytime goal so if he does start, he stands out as a potential scorer option. Salah had the joint most goals last season in the PL and he is sure to sure that quality here today. Bet9ja have 2.75 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.45.
Luiz Diaz
Since he would be a suitable replacement for the already-departed Sadio Mane, the Colombian would undoubtedly be among the starts for today’s game. Since joining the club in January, he has been a standout addition, and to date, he has already brought home one trophy. He is quite effective in this Liverpool system, and he would wow today with one or two goals to count. He will want to score more. Bet9ja have 4.00 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.74.
Anytime Goalscorer (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is the signing of the summer in many people’s eyes and we can’t wait to see him in action this weekend. The young Norwegian striker scored 22 goals in 24 league games for Dortmund last season, as well as netting a further 7 goals in cup competitions. With a total of 155 goals in 200 career games, Haaland is our pick to score against Liverpool this weekend. Bet9ja have 2.25 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.00.
Kevin De Bryune
Kevin De Bruyne has opened the scoring in each of his last five goalscoring appearances for the club. The City skipper enjoyed a very memorable season last term with his only down moment losing in the UCL semi-finals. He was surely instrumental in their retaining of the league title last campaign. He was on the scoresheet this pre-season friendly and which is why we have him included here. Bet9ja have 3.85 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.60.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
