Our best bets for the Community Shield at Wembley on Saturday include victory for the underdogs with a surprise name getting on the scoresheet.
The traditional curtain-raiser for the new season takes place on Saturday as reigning Premier League champions Manchester City face off against arch-rivals Manchester United at Wembley.
The Red Devils defied the odds to beat Pep Guardiola’s side here in the FA Cup final less than three months ago, and once again, they head to the capital as long-priced underdogs against the star-studded Citizens.
Selections – 25/1
Manchester United to lift the trophy
Amad Diallo to score anytime
Josko Gvardiol to have 1+ shot on target
Community Shield curse to continue for Citizens
Manchester City’s utter dominance in the domestic game has resulted in plenty of appearances in the Community Shield over the past 15 years, but Pep Guardiola’s men do not have the best record in what is considered by some as a warm-up to the Premier League getting underway.
The Citizens have appeared in the last three Community Shields but have lost all of them, falling foul of Leicester, Liverpool, and Arsenal in that time.
Their 15 appearances in the competition is fourth behind Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool, but their six wins is fewer than Everton and Tottenham Hotspur have managed.
Two of their nine Community Shield defeats came against Manchester United, with the most recent being in 2011. Erik ten Hag’s side were dreadful at times last season, but they did end on a high with three successive wins and can take advantage of Manchester City’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for this piece of silverware on Saturday.
Diallo out to impress at Wembley
One surprising name that could make the difference at Wembley is Amad Diallo, who is expected to play a more prominent role for Manchester United this season, especially in the early stages of the campaign as Alejandro Garnacho is brought back up to fitness following a busy summer.
Diallo scored a last-gasp winner in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Liverpool to send the Old Trafford faithful wild, and he has been the star of their pre-season tour, scoring a cracker against Rangers and finding the net against Real Betis, too.
With the youngster keen to impress and hopefully cement a place in the starting lineup, he could play a big part at Wembley.
Gvardiol to threaten Onana’s goal
Only one team – the dreadful Sheffield United – allowed their opponents more shots than Manchester United in the Premier League last season, and one beneficiary of that could be Manchester City full-back Josko Gvardiol.
The Croatian’s defensive capabilities have never been in question, but the 22-year-old did impress with his attacking play in his first season in Manchester, chipping in with five goals and two assists.
Al of these goals came in the final couple of months of the season, where he excelled going forward. He had 12 shots in his final ten competitive games for Manchester City last season, hitting the target with seven of those and troubling the goalkeeper at least once in half of them.
