Arsenal vs Liverpool: Betting preview for Community Shield

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The 2020-21 season kick-off on Saturday afternoon when FA Cup winners Arsenal take on Premier League champions Liverpool in the Community Shield.

The dust has barely settled on 2019-20 season with Bayern Munich beating PSG in the Champions League final on Sunday night but we don’t have long to wait before next season gets underway.

Arsenal endured a hugely disappointing league campaign as three different managers struggled to find consistent results and the north Londoners ended up finishing eighth – their worst final position in 25 years.

However, the Gunners ended the season on a high note as they managed to beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final to win some silverware and ensure they’ll be playing Europa League football again this coming campaign.

Arsenal will now take on Liverpool in the Community Shield and it was another season to remember for Jurgen Klopp’s men as they stormed their way to their first Premier League title in 30 years.

They are expected to put up a serious fight to defend their title this season and Klopp will be looking to put a marker down with an earlier win over Arsenal at Wembley this weekend.

Betting odds

It’s tricky to know what kind of teams will be put out but despite the uncertainty, Liverpool are still priced as the 8/13 favourites by the bookmakers to win the game on Saturday. Arsenal can be backed at 4/1 while the draw is available at odds of 16/5.

Those who enjoy online sports betting can take advantage of some in-play opportunities on Saturday afternoon but those who want to lock-in their bets before kick-off may be tempted to back Liverpool now as I expect their odds will drift in closer to kick off.

The Merseysiders were formidable last season and while Arsenal won the last league game between the two sides back in July, I expect Liverpool to come our victorious this weekend. A 2-1 Liverpool win looks good at odds of 13/2.

If you don’t want to be tied-in to a specific scoreline but fancy Liverpool to win with over 2.5 goals scored in the match, then you can gets odds of 2.25 on the double.

Team news

Both Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp are expected to field weakened sides with very few of their key men risked from the start following a mini pre-season.

Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno is unlikely to feature as he continues to recover from a knee injury while Gabriel Martinelli, Calum Chambers, Shkdoran Mustafi and Pablo Mari are all ruled out.

Liverpool will be without Joel Matip as he’s not fully recovered from his ankle injury while Jordan Henderson is unlikely to be risked due to a knee injury. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain won’t feature against his former side after being ruled out with a knee problem.

Prediction

Until we see the line-ups, it’s difficult to make an accurate prediction but Liverpool will no doubt be confident of seeing off Arsenal on Saturday. Klopp has a settled squad which is strong and they all know there jobs. Arsenal on the other hand are in the middle of a rebuild with plenty of in-comings and out-going expected this summer while the future of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains unclear. I’m backing Liverpool to edge it.

Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal.

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