The first standout occasion on the 2022/23 English football calendar takes place on Saturday, with Premier League champions Manchester City facing FA Cup holders Liverpool at Wembley.
Liverpool finished just a single point behind Man City in the Premier League last term. That tells you everything you need to know about the quality of these two sides.
𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿A big week ahead as we return to action in the Community Shield! 🙌Everything you need to know ⤵️— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 25, 2022
𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿A big week ahead as we return to action in the Community Shield! 🙌Everything you need to know ⤵️
Can the Reds make amends for last season? Or will Pep Guardiola’s men kick off their campaign on a high note? Let’s take a closer look at the teams.
Liverpool booked their place in the Community Shield with a penalty-shootout victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
Funnily enough, Jurgen Klopp’s side also beat Chelsea on penalties in last season’s EFL Cup final. It is worth noting that Liverpool failed to score in 120 minutes on both occasions.
In the Premier League, the Merseysiders lost just two of their 38 games last term – securing 28 wins and eight draws along the way.
Let’s not forget that Liverpool also reached the UEFA Champions League final last season, although they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the showpiece.
The Reds lost 4-0 to Manchester United in their first pre-season friendly. However, they have since claimed victories over Crystal Palace (2-0) and RB Leipzig (5-0).
As for Man City, they sealed a friendly win against Mexican side Club America (2-1) before beating Bayern Munich (1-0) last time out.
Guardiola’s side won 29 of their 38 Premier League encounters last term, registering six draws and three losses in the process.
Not only did Man City score 99 Premier League goals last season (2.60 goals per game), but they also conceded just 26 (0.68 goals per game).
It is worth noting that City have featured in six of the previous 11 Community Shields, winning three and losing three. Last year, they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Leicester City.
Head-to-head: Last season, Liverpool and Man City played out a couple of 2-2 draws in the Premier League. In the FA Cup, however, the Reds beat City 3-2 in the semi-finals.
Across the past seven meetings between Liverpool and Man City, both sides have claimed two wins. The other three clashes ended in a draw.
Given that Liverpool and Man City were separated by a solitary point last season, Saturday’s showdown is likely to be a close-fought battle.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Liverpool and Man City will dish up a low-scoring draw.