Arsenal v Liverpool betting tips: Who wins the Community Shield?
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It feels as though last season has barely finished, but already it’s time to gear-up for the new campaign as Arsenal and Liverpool meet in the 2020 Community Shield.
The annual curtain-raiser will be played behind closed doors at Wembley, but it’s the start of a big season for both Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League champions and Mikel Arteta’s FA Cup winners.
Liverpool are out to ensure last season’s sensational title success is the start of a trophy-laden era at Anfield, while Arteta and the Gunners must build on last season’s promising partnership.
Who will come out on top under the famous arch? Here’s your Community Shield preview…
Match Odds
Unsurprisingly, our traders have chalked up Liverpool as 2/3 favourites to win the game in 90 minutes, with Arsenal, who did beat the Reds in the league in July, the 15/4 underdogs.
With an international break between this game and the start of the Premier League season, this year’s Community Shield may have more of a ‘friendly’ vibe about it than usual.
But that could lead us to an open contest in a fixture which is usually end-to-end anyway. Both teams have scored in 12 of the last 15 meetings, and 4/7 says it happens again this weekend.
Over 2.5 goals is also a 4/7 shot, while Liverpool to win and both teams to score is 19/10. Arsenal are 13/2 to win with both teams to score, as happened in July’s 2-1 win at the Emirates.
And remarkably, these two have shared 53 goals in the last 10 meeting, with over 4.5 goals knocking around at 16/5.
Talking Tactics
It’s pretty hard to call exactly what XI both Klopp and Arteta put out here, with the Premier League still a fortnight away on the other side of an international break.
Injury-wise Klopp has little to worry about, although Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain is out, while Virgil van Dijk is a slight doubt after an eye injury in Liverpool’s friendly with RB Leipzig.
So that should mean the traditional trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino up front. Both Rhian Brewster and Curtis Jones could feature from the off, too.
For Arsenal, Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari are all injured, so new man William Saliba could make his first competitive appearance for the club.
With the Gunners still reportedly looking to offload Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli still injured, Eddie Nketiah could get the nod up front alongside Reiss Nelson and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Goalscorer odds
Salah, who bagged a double over the Gunners in Liverpool’s 3-1 win last August, is 16/5 favourite to score first and 3/2 favourite to score anytime.
He’s closely followed in the betting by Anfield team-mate Mane, who’s 7/2 to score the opener and 13/10 anytime.
Aubameyang heads up the Arsenal cause as 9/2 favourite to score first, with the Gabon forward 3/2 anytime. There’s 8/1 about youngster Nketiah breaking the deadlock.
Match Info
Where: Wembley Stadium, London
When: 16:30, Saturday 29th August.
How to Watch: BT Sport 1
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
