Who will win the first title of the new season?
Two important titles will be awarded on the island this weekend. On Sunday, the national teams from England and Germany will battle it out to win the Women’s European Championship 2022. One day earlier, the men of the guild will compete for the first silverware of the new season in the Community Shield. Liverpool and Manchester City face each other in the cup winner versus champion clash. The odds on the three-way market are quite close, so no clear favourite can be named in the run-up to this cracker.
However, the bookmakers are giving slight advantages to the Citizens, who have made the more consistent impression in their preparations so far. However, it would be presumptuous to make a prediction on the outcome of the match between Liverpool and Manchester City solely on the basis of the test match results, especially as there are various other parameters to consider on Saturday. Who will take this English “Supercup” more seriously? Which coach will let more stars off the leash? And how tough was the penultimate week of training before next weekend’s Premier League kick-off?
By the way, the venue will not be the usual Wembley Stadium in London, which is reserved for the Women’s European Championship final, but the King Power Stadium in Leicester. The clear home advantage will therefore not be given to either of the two teams. All the more reason for us to believe that we can expect a lively exchange in which one or the other goal could be scored. At first glance, bets on one or the other goal promise the most exciting value, especially as the corresponding prices are surprisingly high.
Liverpool – Statistics & current form
Liverpool FC fought for maximum success until the very end last season. In the end, only a single point was missing to snatch the championship trophy from Manchester City. In addition, the Reds lost the even Champions League final against Real Madrid and therefore had to settle for two titles (FA Cup, League Cup) instead of their four.
This weekend, the Scousers are aiming for a success that Jürgen Klopp has not yet been able to celebrate during his time on the island. We are talking about the Community Shield, which last went to the Reds from Merseyside in 2006. In 2019 and 2020, the German coach lost out in the final. Both times, by the way, after a penalty shootout. Because extra time is not traditionally played in the duel between cup winners and champions in England, the likelihood that Saturday’s final will also go to penalties is a given.
Even though the Reds’ focus is naturally on the start of the league next Sunday at Fulham, Kloppo would like to start the new season with a sense of achievement and a successful dress rehearsal. However, this will require a more concentrated performance than in one or two test matches during preparation. Among others, LFC lost against Manchester United with 0:4 or against RB Salzburg with 0:1. In both cases, however, not the best team was on the pitch.
Successful debut for Darwin Nunez?
With that in mind, we’d be wary of putting Mo Salah and co. in the underdog role in the Community Shield final. With Liverpool vs Manchester City offering higher odds on the runners-up to win, we are not averse to placing a bet on the reigning FA Cup winners to win the title.
Even more interesting, however, might be a bet on a relatively high number of goals. On the one hand, the Reds proved that they are a force to be reckoned with in their 5-0 win over RB Leipzig, in which new signing Darwin Nunez scored four goals after coming on as a half-time substitute. On the other hand, in the recent duels between these top teams, a bet on “over 2.5” or “both score” would have gone through several times.
In our eyes, it is hard to imagine the Klopp eleven taking a wait-and-see approach, which can be cited as an additional argument for an open game. Regular keeper Alisson Becker will have to miss out due to injury. Jota, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tsimikas are also unlikely to be available. With Roberto Firmino’s move to the “old lady” in Turin looming, Nunez is likely to start up front alongside Luis Diaz and Mo Salah.
Predicted Liverpool line-up:
Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
Last matches played by Liverpool:
Friendly club matches
28/07/2022 – RB Salzburg 1 – 0 Liverpool FC
21/07/2022 – RB Leipzig 0 – 5 Liverpool FC
15/07/2022 – Liverpool FC 2 – 0 Crystal Palace
12/07/2022 – Liverpool FC 0 – 4 Manchester United
Champions League Final
29/05/2022 – Liverpool FC 0 – 1 Real Madrid
Manchester City – Statistics & current form
Manchester City will continue to be the English team to beat in the 2022/23 season to claim all titles at national level. With the transfer of Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips, the Sky Blues have further strengthened their already outstanding squad in two positions and also added width. The aim of Guardiola’s team must be to finally lift the trophy in the top flight.
Before that, however, the aim on Saturday is to win the first title of the new season. The Citizens last crowned themselves in the Community Shield in 2019, and the title also went to the industrial city in 2018.
However, with only six triumphs in this competition, which is on a par with the Super Cup, there is still room for improvement, especially considering that City have also lost out in three of the past six finals. In 2021, the final was lost 1-0 to Leicester City. In total, ManCity have lost more finals in this competition than they have won
All eyes are on Haaland
Meanwhile, the preparation is going according to plan in terms of results. Two narrow victories were celebrated against Club Àmerica and FC Bayern, although there was still a lot of sand in the gears. Nevertheless, Pep must have been pleased that Haaland, of all people, scored the winning goal in the 1:0 victory against Munich. The Norwegian force of nature adds a whole new dimension to the Himmelblauen’s offensive play, making the reigning champions even harder to count on.
Like Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola will not be able to draw on his best personnel without restrictions. Aymeric Laporte is missing due to a knee injury. Ilkay Gündogan, Phil Foden and John Stones missed their team’s trip to the USA, but will return home.
The spotlight will be on the competitive debut of Erling Haaland, who we expect to be on the pitch from the start
Predicted Manchester City line-up:
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Cancelo; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish
Last matches played by Manchester City:
Friendly club matches
24/07/2022 – Bayern Munich 0 – 1 Manchester City
21/07/2022 – Manchester City 2 – 1 CF America
Premier League
22/05/2022 – Manchester City 3 – 2 Aston Villa
15/05/2022 – West Ham 2 – 2 Manchester City
12/05/2022 – Wolverhampton 1 – 5 Manchester City
Liverpool – Manchester City Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Three times the teams faced each other at must-win level last season. In the Premier League, the top clubs parted with a 2-2 draw on each occasion. In the FA Cup semi-final, the Reds got the upper hand with a 3-2 win. But it was always a spectacle!
Five times in a row between Liverpool and Manchester City, a prediction on goals from both teams would have paid off. In the only Community Shield clash to date, the same bet would have paid off. In 2019, the final was 1-1 after 90 minutes before the Citizens prevailed on penalties.
Liverpool – Manchester City Tip
After the Citizens won the Premier League by one point in 2021/22, but LFC came out on top in both cup competitions, it is fair to say they are the crème de la crème of national football. Both Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola pursue a dominant and attractive style of play, which is why we can look forward to a high-class, exciting and sometimes open title game.
If we look at the last results in the direct duels, we come to the decision to bet on “Both score” between Liverpool and Manchester City. At Bwin we get a peak of 1.66 for this and choose a confident bet of eight units.
If you want to take a bit more risk, you can combine the “BTS” with the “Over 2.5” or bet on LFC scoring the first goal of the match after normal time. For the latter bet, odds of 2.05 are offered on the Community Shield final between Liverpool and Manchester City.
