Community Shield preview: City to land early silverware?

As the Premier League season approaches, the classic precursor takes place this weekend as the winners of the Premier League take on the runners-up in the Community Shield.

With both Arsenal and Manchester City hoping to get their first taste of success this season, it is set to be an exciting encounter.

We preview the action below.

City to set the precedent

Having lost out to Liverpool in last year’s final, Manchester City and Pep Guardiola will be hoping to get their hands on the Community Shield this year, especially as they head into the game as 7/10 favourites.

City didn’t have the fastest start last season after losing 3-1 to Liverpool in this fixture and didn’t exactly fly out of the blocks in the Premier League either, but that was all set to change as they would go on to have one of the greatest seasons in the history of English football.

By the end of the 2022/23 season Guardiola’s side had picked up the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League to complete an iconic treble. Not only were they an amazing team, but they also had some record-breaking individuals, most notable Erling Haaland, whose 36-goal tally last season was a Premier League record.

Not many would argue with Manchester City being the best team in the world at the moment which will likely mean that they will be favourites for every match they play this season, and that is no different here. Haaland is also likely to be tipped to score in almost every game and with the formidable number nine 5/6 to net in this encounter, it is hard to see him moving above Evens to score in any match this season.

Gunners to be the bridesmaid, again

In an unexpected turn of events, Arsenal were looking title-bound for a large part of last season after spending 248 days atop the Premier League table, but when push came to shove, they were formidably swept aside by a formidable Manchester City side. They look likely to suffer the same fate in this game as they head into it as clear underdogs at 17/5.

Arsenal did not accumulate any silverware last season and that will still be fresh in the mind of Mikel Arteta, so a winning start to this season and the feeling of lifting a trophy could be crucial for this squad going forward.

Arsenal have still come on leaps and bounds since Arteta took over and have now splashed the cash this summer in a bid to narrow the gap between themselves and Manchester City. The Gunners have brought in Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber for a total of over £200 million, and Havertz is 18/5 to get on the scoresheet in this game.

A rising star at Arsenal is American striker Folarin Balogun after the 22-year old caught the eye on loan at Reims in Ligue 1 last year, netting 21 league goals, and he be selected at 18/5 to find the back of the net at Wembley.