Community Shield: Man City vs. Arsenal Preview, Odds, Predictions, Picks

Manchester City and Arsenal compete for the first trophy of the season in the English Premier League, as they meet in the Community Shield game this Sunday. Both teams have finished their preseason periods, having posted more or less solid performances. Manchester City was on tour through Asia, while Arsenal went to the United States to play a few games. After wrapping up all that, they are now back home waiting for the campaign to start. This match will show both Guardiola and Arteta if there are specific areas they need to improve and whether there is a need for last-minute changes on the roster.

Preview

Manchester City (-150) had three tests in Asia, during which Guardiola combined a lot, trying to adapt Mateo Kovacic to his new environment and introduce him to the Citizens’ system. The Croatian will have a huge task ahead of him, and that would be to replace Ilkay Gundogan, who is in Barcelona.

The Citizens defeated Yokohama FM, 5-3, then they beat Bayern Munich 2-1, and lost against Atletico Madrid in the most recent matchup, 1-2. In all the games, City played with less than 70% of its power, and still dominated.

The enigma for this meeting is Kevin De Bruyne’s condition. The Belgian star picked up an injury in the Champion League’s finals, and still didn’t recover properly, having missed all the preseason events City played. 

Arsenal (+333) was in the United States, where they met some of the best European teams at this moment. Mikel Arteta had a chance to introduce Declan Rice to the new team and his new roles. 

The Gunners faced Manchester United and lost that clash 0-2, but after that bounced back against Barcelona, winning 5-3. They were better than Blaugrana in every aspect of play, ripping apart the Spanish champs in the second half. 

Arteta and the boys ended the preseason at home against Monaco in the Emirates Cup. Following 1-1 during 90 minutes, the hosts won via penalties, boosting the fans’ confidence ahead of Sunday’s event. 

Latest News

It’s not reasonable to expect to see De Bruyne in this event. 

On the other side, Gabriel Jesus is injured, and he will be out for a while. Saka and Zinchenko are doubtful. 

Head to Head Games

Man City is dominant against Arsenal in recent years, with them winning the past eight events against this rival. During the 2023 campaign, City won three times, in the FA Cup, 1-0, and after that, in the Premiership, 1-3 at the Emirates and 4-1 at the Etihad. In the end, those games were decisive for their championship run.

Prediction

Manchester City is not at its best right now, particularly without De Bruyne and with Kovacic still fitting in, and that’s the only reason why we won’t pick them to win. We want this pick to be absolutely right, so we decided to focus on goals, and take both teams netting. Guardiola’s crew often allowed goals throughout the preseason, and so did Arsenal. The odds are at -166, and that is completely fine.

Pick: Both teams to score -166