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The English Premier League unofficially kicks off one week before the season with the annual Community Shield match. The game is played every year between the league winner and the FA Cup winner of the previous season. Of course, since Manchester City won both, league runner-up Liverpool will be their opponent just a few short months after Man City edged out the Reds by a single point at the top of the table.
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As both reigning Premier League champions and reigning Community Shield champions, Manchester City is favored to win with a money line of +102. Of course, Liverpool is not far behind at +236. In the event of a draw, the two teams will play a penalty shootout to determine the winner.
Standing Pat
After coming one point short of a Premier League title last season, Liverpool was quiet on the transfer front for most of the season. The club only made two signings, and both were teenagers who are seen more as pieces for the future rather than players who will contribute right away. That means Liverpool will have largely the same squad in the Community Shield that they played for most of last season.
However, there will be two notable absences for Liverpool when they face Man City. First, Sadio Mane will miss the game as he recovers from spending his summer playing in the African Cup of Nations with Senegal. Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri, who would have been the most likely replacement for Mane, who also miss out on the game due to injury. That will likely force Liverpool to insert Divock Origi into the starting lineup.
Liverpool has also not been in great form during their preseason schedule. After a couple of wins over lower-level English clubs, Liverpool has struggled, losing games to Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla, and Napoli. Even in preseason friendly fixtures, those results will be disappointing to see from the reigning Champions League holders.
No Let Down
As you’d expect from a Pep Guardiola team, Man City has not rested on its laurels this summer. They spent £68.2m to sign Spanish midfielder Rodri from Atletico Madrid. Even with plenty of other options in the midfield, Guardiola is likely to throw him into the fire right away and give Rodri his first Man City start in the Community Shield against Liverpool.
Of course, there were a couple of notable exits for Man City over the summer. Versatile midfielder Fabian Delph went to Everton, helping to open room for Rodri. More importantly, longtime captain Vincent Kompany left the club after nine seasons to return to Anderlecht as player-manager. Defensively, City should be able to fill the void, although there will be questions about where the team will turn to for leadership. There is also continued speculation that Leroy Sane potentially leaving the club before the end of the summer.
Meanwhile, it’s been business as usual for Guardiola and company during the preseason. The Citizens tied Wolverhampton during their tour of Asia, but they’ve also notched wins over West Ham United, Kitchee (a Hong Kong club), and Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan. However, facing Liverpool will obviously be a huge step up in competition from those clubs.
Going For It
After the epic title race between these two teams last season, both sides should bring plenty of intensity to the Community Shield. Liverpool should feel like there’s a chip on their shoulder after coming up short last season and because of their poor preseason results. However, Manchester City has been all about winning trophies under Guardiola, who will do whatever it takes to add to the City trophy case. With Liverpool playing a little short-handed, the reigning Premier League champs should have a little more star power. Bet on Manchester City to win the 2019 Community Shield. Are you looking for the best Pay Per Head service?.
