FA Community Shield Final – Manchester City vs. Liverpool FC Match Preview

By  Jonathan Willis

Thursday, August 1st, 2019

EPL Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu

It’s only natural that Liverpool and Manchester City meet for the FA Community Shield after a season where these were the two best teams in England all year long. The Citizens won a domestic treble, claiming the Premier League title, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup, while the Reds won the biggest prize of them all, the Champions League. These are the two heavy favorites to win the Premier League per the EPL betting odds, and one will get the chance to begin the season with some silverware.

Don't miss the FA Community Shield Final from Wembley Stadium in London, England at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, August 4, 2019. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN Plus.

EPL Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu

Liverpool FC +289
Manchester City -114
Draw +259
Over/Under 2.5 and 3

Odds Analysis

The preseason has not gone well for Liverpool. The Reds began their tune-ups by hammering Tranmere Rovers 6-0 and beating Bradford City 3-1, but they ran into some trouble after that. Liverpool fell to both Dortmund and Sevilla before drawing with Sporting Lisbon and were crushed by Napoli 3-0. However, they finally looked sharp once again in a 3-1 victory over Lyon on Wednesday.

As for Manchester City, the Citizens took on three other English clubs for the Premier League Asia Trophy last month. They had no problem besting West Ham 4-1 with a brace from Raheem Sterling in the second half, but they couldn’t get past Wolves in the final. Wolves held them scoreless over 90 minutes and then won the subsequent shootout. City got back on track with a 6-1 win over Kitchee last week and a 3-1 win over Yokohama in Japan.

Key Injuries

Sadio Mane has been ruled out of this match. He is still on holiday after leading Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations Final two weeks ago, and Jurgen Klopp is giving him time to rest. Mane may miss Liverpool’s season opener against Norwich City as a result too. Nathaniel Clyne suffered a torn ACL against Borussia Dortmund in the preseason and will likely miss the entire year.

Meanwhile, Fernandinho continues to deal with a multitude of injuries and will miss this match for Manchester City, and Benjamin Mendy will be sidelined for another month with a knee injury.

Matchup to Watch

These are the two most potent offenses in England. Although Liverpool doesn’t have Mane, they have a strong combination up top in Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino. Naby Keita looks like he is coming along nicely too after some ups and downs over the first part of last year. That will make the Reds even deadlier up front.

As for Manchester City, the team is loaded with star power, and Riyad Mahrez is looking to make his mark after leading Algeria to the Africa Cup of Nations title. Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, and Kevin De Bruyne are also set to factor, so both sides can create something out of nothing rather easily.

Prop Bet – First Half Alternate Total Under 1 and 1.5 -149

Even though the offenses are deadly, there were just three total goals scored in two matches between these clubs last year. Additionally, there has not been more than one first half goal scored in the last four FA Community Shield Finals.

Free Soccer Betting Pick

The under is the play here. Alisson and Ederson both had incredible seasons last year, and I see this game being played more tightly than the experts believe. There might be an abundance of scoring power on the field, but I think both teams will shut things down pretty well.

English FA Community Shield Odds: Liverpool FC 1, Manchester City 1

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