Last season saw two teams dominate the trophy haul in the top division in England. Manchester City were the Premier League Champions, pipping Liverpool to the title by one point, with the Reds having to settle for both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup by means of compensation.
In fact, the only domestic trophy the two teams didn’t win last season is the one they will contest on Saturday, the Community Shield, which last season was won by Leicester City, who defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the game last August.
This year’s Community Shield will be hosted by Leicester City at their King Power Stadium, as Wembley is being used for the women’s 2022 European Championship Final over the same weekend and it will be the second time in four years that the two Premier League titans will clash in the traditional curtain raiser to the new season.
Last time they met in this game was back in 2019 at Wembley and the game finished in a 1-1 draw, Sergio Aguero scoring for City with Joel Matip on target for Liverpool. City then won the penalty shootout to clinch the trophy.
Liverpool have featured in three of the last four Community Shield games, while City will feature in their fourth Community Shield in five years.
Bet365 Sport are offering extensive pre-match betting on the game at present and there will be more markets available as we head towards kick off on Saturday. Then when the game starts, remember that you can enjoy extensive In Play betting on the match, which is also being broadcast live across the UK on the ITV network.
Let’s now preview the big game this weekend by looking a little at the history of the competition, the major changes made to both team’s squads ahead of the games and of course, how we think the match is going to turn out.
The Community Shield
The Community Shield, formerly called the Charity Shield, will be played for the 100th time this weekend and over the years, it has become established as not just the first game of the new season, but also as a match between the previous season’s league champions and FA Cup winners.
In its early life, the game often featured invited teams, or representative teams from the professional and amateur ranks. The match also wasn’t always hosted at Wembley and it was only when the FA formalised the game in 1974 and said it would be played at Wembley each year ahead of the season between the FA Cup and League winners that it became a firm part of the calendar.
Up until the 1993 season, it was possible for teams to share the trophy if they drew, but in 1993, the game would be decided by penalties if it finished as a draw after 90 minutes, although no extra time would be played.
Additionally, teams are allowed up to six substitutes in the game now, which means it allows them to also use the game as a preparation for the forthcoming Premier League season too.
This year’s game will be refereed by Craig Pawson and it kicks off at 5pm UK time on Saturday 30th July, a little earlier in the year than usual due to the World Cup taking place in November and December.
Meet The Teams – Manchester City
City manager Pep Guardiola has overseen a busy summer at the club with a couple of major signings, and some key players also leaving for pastures new.
The big signings coming into the club were led by the £51m capture of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, with the big Norwegian striker one of the most coveted players in world football and certainly one with the most eyecatching records in recent years.
Alongside Haaland, the other big signing came from domestic rivals Leeds United in the shape of England midfield lynchpin Kalvin Phillips, who signed for £50m. Phillips will be the replacement for Fernandinho, with the former City captain moving back home to Brazil on a free transfer this summer when he joined Atletico Paranaense.
Also leaving the club of note were goalkeeper Gavin Buzunu and midfielder Romeo Lavia, who both joined Southampton for around £25m in fees, while Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus moved to Arsenal for around £65m, while Raheem Sterling put pen to paper on a deal with Chelsea in a deal worth around £50m.
With City looking perhaps a little light defensively in the full-back areas, Guardiola may be tempted to bring in at least one additional defender for the long campaign ahead, although he may have to wait until early in the season to capture the right player.
Manchester City Squad
Manager
- Pep Guardiola
Goalkeepers
- Ederson (G)
- Stefan Ortega (G)
Defenders
- Kyle Walker (DRC)
- Ruben Dias (DC)
- John Stones (DC)
- Nathan Ake (DRC)
- Joan Cancelo (DL)
- Aymeric Laporte (DC)
Midfielders
- Kalvin Phillips (DMC)
- Ilkay Gundogan (MC)
- Jack Grealish (AMC)
- Rodrigo (DMC)
- Kevin De Bruyne (AMC)
- Bernardo Silva (AMLC)
- Phil Foden (AMRC)
- Cole Palmer (MC)
Attackers
- Erling Haaland (AC)
- Julian Alvarez (AC)
- Riyad Mahrez (AMLC)
Let’s now take a look at how their great rivals and opponents on Saturday will shape up for the game.
Meet The Teams – Liverpool
With Jurgen Klopp signing a new contract towards the end of last season, Liverpool fans were given a real boost this summer when Mo Salah agreed terms on a new long-term deal to keep him at the club for a further four years.
However, the famous attacking trio of Salah, Mane and Firmino has now been broken up with Sadio Mane moving to Bayern Munich for £35m, and Roberto Firmino now in the last year of his contract.
Also moving on from the club were squad players Neco Williams (who moved to Nottingham Forest for £17m), Takumi Minamino (to AS Monaco for £15.5m) and Divock Origi (who joined AC Milan on a free transfer).
The Reds signed two youngsters to strengthen and freshen up their squad. Calvin Ramsey was signed from Aberdeen to provide cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right back, while Fabio Carvalho was a £10m signing from Fulham and he can play anywhere in attack.
However, the big money was splashed on centre forward Darwin Nunez who arrived from Benfica for an initial £64m which may increase to £85m with bonuses and incentives.
Like City, Liverpool are going to have a big man number 9 centre forward for the first time in many years and it is going to be interesting to see how Haaland and Nunez perform at their new clubs.
Liverpool Squad
Manager
- Jurgen Klopp
Goalkeepers
- Alisson Becker (G)
- Caoimhin Kelleher (G)
- Adrian (G)
Defenders
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (DMR)
- Andy Robertson (DML)
- Konstantinos Tsimikas (DL)
- Joel Matip (DC)
- Virgil van Dijk (DC)
- Joe Gomes (DRLC)
- Ibrahima Konate (DC)
- Calvin Ramsey (DMR)
- Nat Phillips (DC)
Midfielders
- Fabinho (DMC)
- James Milner (DMLRC)
- Jordan Henderson (MC)
- Thiago (MC)
- Naby Keita (AMLC)
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (AMRC)
- Curtis Jones (MC)
- Harvey Elliott (AMLC)
- Fabio Carvalho (AMLRC)
- Tyler Morton (DMC)
Attackers
- Roberto Firmino (AMC)
- Mo Salah (AMLC)
- Diogo Jota (AC)
- Luis Diaz (AMRC)
- Darwin Nunez (AC)
Betting Tips – Who Wins The Community Shield?
It’s somewhat unusual to see teams make similar adjustments at the same time, but that is what City and Liverpool have done by both bringing in a big number 9 centre forward to spearhead their attack, while also saying goodbye to some key players.
Additionally, the Reds have strengthened by signing some exciting young talent, while City have opted for a more experienced international calibre player in Kalvin Phillips.
It has been so difficult to separate these teams over the last few years, but Bet365 Sport have Manchester City as the favourites to win here at 7/4, with Liverpool 19/10 to land the win and the draw a 23/10 chance.
However, I actually feel the draw at 90 minutes is the best option here given how close games between the two have been in recent times and I’d back that here in the Full Time Result market.