Sport
Community Shield 2024 preview: United could spring shock in season opener
The wait for the return of domestic football is finally over as the annual curtain-raiser is upon us, with rivals Manchester United and Manchester City set to battle it out at Wembley.
Although officially classified as a friendly, the Community Shield offers teams a chance for a first piece of silverware to start off their season and it is certainly taken seriously by most.
Expect both sides to field strong line-ups as they won’t want to let the first chance of bragging rights over their city rivals pass them by.
We preview the 2024 Community Shield below.
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Rashford to make his Marc
Manchester United will be looking to head into the 2024/25 season with a bit of momentum given their below-par finish in the Premier League last term, slumping to seventh in the table behind a resurgent Chelsea.
They did manage to end their season in style, however, pushing the Blues out of the Europa League by defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final to secure their spot in Europe’s secondary competition.
That game sees Erik ten Hag’s side head into this game with the most recent result in their favour, but that hasn’t stopped them being underdogs here as they head to Wembley as a 4/1-shot to lift the Community Shield.
Marcus Rashford was unable to carry his form from the 2022/23 season – in which he scored 30 goals in all competitions – into last season and he will be looking to rectify that in the upcoming campaign. Rashford has scored against City six times in his career and he could be the man to break the deadlock should he be back to his best.
Marcus Rashford to score first is 9/1
Oscar worth a few Bobb
It is no surprise that Manchester City head into this game as favourites given that is the case almost every time they step onto the pitch, but for what is in essence a pre-season friendly, their odds of 11/20 seem a little too short to spark any interest.
Pep Guardiola has already warned fans to expect a slow start to the season from his side, saying “we will arrive late but not (just) against Manchester United, against Chelsea and Ipswich too,” and this cannot be ignored with the Cityzens potentially having one eye on their Premier League opener against Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea.
One of the stars City’s pre-season has been Oscar Bobb; the youngster has put in some seriously eye-catching performances and has two goals to his name over the four matches. With Julian Alvarez on his way out, the Norwegian could have a much bigger role this season and there would be no better way to kick off his campaign than with a goal here.
Oscar Bobb to score anytime is 15/8
The verdict
City have silverware to spare and it is unlikely that this game will be a season-defining moment for them, whereas United need all they can get their hands on at the moment and Erik ten Hag would no doubt like some more evidence to support his case to remain in his post.
We can see United flying out of the blocks here, but it must be noted that City have an abundance of quality who won’t need to be at 100% to cause the Red Devils problems. We fancy a 2-2 draw here at 16/1, with United to sneak by on penalties.
