Premier League champions Liverpool take on FA Cup winners Arsenal in the 2020/21 Community Shield at Wembley on Saturday afternoon. The 2019/20 campaign only finished a few days ago when Bayern Munich beat PSG in the Champions League final on Sunday night but we’re already on to the new seasons curtain raiser.
Liverpool have just come off the back of another memorable season after they stormed their way to their first league title in 30 years and Jurgen Klopp’s side are expected to be right in the mix to defend their crown this year. Arsenal on the other hand endured a disappointing campaign as they finished eighth in the league table but Mikel Arteta managed to win some silverware after beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final to book their place in this weekend’s Community Shield.
Betting tips
Understandably, Liverpool are 8/13 favourites to win the game on Saturday while Arsenal are priced at 4/1 with the draw available at odds of 16/5. Bettors who get the last Paddy Power promo code may be able to reduce their outlay if they secure an enhanced odds offer or welcome bonus. However, those planning to bet on Liverpool may want to act quickly as I expect their odds to shortly the closer we get towards kick off.
Klopp has been able to use the majority of his squad during pre-season and Liverpool are expected to field a strong side this weekend. In contrast, many of Arsenal’s best players have only had a couple of days training under their belts so Arteta may be forced to play a weakened side in the Community Shield. That would hand Liverpool a huge advantage and odds of 8/13 look attractive.
For those interested in exact score bets, we like the look of Liverpool to win 3-1 at odds of 10/1. Sadio Mane is also a solid bet to score first at odds of 10/3 and if we back the Senegalese star to open the scoring in a 3-1 win, we get excellent odds of 54/1.
Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson is expected to resume training any day after recovering from a knee injury but the Arsenal game will come too soon so he remains out along with Joel Matip.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also won’t feature this weekend due to a knee problem while Trent Alexander-Arnold is a doubt.
Arsenal have several injury concerns to worry about as Bernd Leno isn’t expected to feature as he continues to overcome a knee injury while Calum Chambers remains on the sidelines with a long-term problem.
Gabriel Martinelli isn’t due to return from his knee injury until later this year while Shkdoran Mustafi and Pablo Mari are also out.
Prediction
Liverpool were formidable last season and are rightly considered favourites to win this weekend. Their squad will be fitter and stronger than Arsenal’s so I really don’t give Arteta’s men much hope at Wembley. I’m backing the Premier League champions to win 3-1 this weekend.
