The first bit of silverware in English football is on offer this Sunday night when Liverpool and Manchester City do battle in the FA Community Shield. We preview the big clash here and give our best bet. Good luck to everyone following!
2019 FA Community Shield Betting Tips
Liverpool vs Manchester City (Monday 12am AEST)
The two most dominant English football clubs in the modern day will do battle for the first time in 2019 when they play in the FA Community Shield on Sunday night. Liverpool and Manchester City had the two best 2018-19 campaigns, earning the right to play for the first piece of silverware in the 2019-20 season.
Background
The Football Association Community Shieldis an annual match played between the champions of the previous English Premier League season and the current holders of the FA Cup. It’s the first piece of silverware on offer for England’s top flight teams and is held at the famous Wembley Stadium in London, England. Due to Manchester City winning both the league title and the FA Cup last season, the EPL’s second placed team, Liverpool, will be the other competing team.
Liverpool
Coming off a fantastic season in the Premier League, Liverpool will be looking to go one better in this year’s campaign. They finished devastatingly close to winning the league title, accumulating the most points they ever in a single season. Despite the disappointment of not winning the EPL, Liverpool made amends quickly by defeating Tottenham in the Champions League Final.
Understandably, the Reds haven’t made too many changes to their squad in the off-season, although they may line up a little bit differently in this FA Community Shield fixture. The Premier League will certainly be their focus, meaning they may field a couple of fringe or prospect players to avoid picking up key injuries. Players in the mix for selection that aren’t necessarily in their starting XI are Rhian Brewster, Divock Origi and Harry Wilson.
Manchester City
Now the back-to-back Premier League Champions, Manchester City will be looking to continue their dominance in English football. They had a fantastic season in all respects, nearly winning every title they set their sights on. They took home the Premier League, Carabao Cup, and FA Cup to complete the English treble.
Much like the Reds, City haven’t made too many changes to their champion squad. They’ll welcome back all of their superstar players to have another tilt at the EPL and Champions League titles. Also much like the Reds, you can expect City to experiment with a couple of unfamiliar players in their starting XI. Those who may get their chance to impress include Phil Foden and Rodri.
Prediction
It’s extremely hard to get a read on this match when there’s so much unknown surrounding team selections. However, Liverpool do seem to represent a lot more value if they do end up shaking up their starting squads. In a match that could genuinely go either way, we’ll be taking two of the three results by playing the Liverpool and Draw market.
Liverpool Double Chance
$1.90