Premier League champions Manchester City take on FA Cup winners Leicester City at Wembley on Saturday in the Community Shield, as the domestic season in England officially gets up and running.
The men from Manchester have won the curtain-raiser to the new campaign in two of the last three years and they will be boosted by this week’s arrival of Jack Grealish for a British record transfer fee of £100million from Aston Villa.
Leicester will also have new additions in their ranks, with Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumare and Ryan Bertrand all set to feature, but Brendan Rodgers’ side will very much be the underdogs heading into the contest.
Wembley Record can Help Citizens
Pep Guardiola’s side have an impressive record against most teams, including Leicester, as they have won four of the last five meetings between the two sides.
The Citizens also enjoy playing at Wembley, as they have only lost two of their 12 previous visits at the iconic stadium, although one of those defeats was in last season’s FA Cup semi-final to Chelsea.
Leicester went on to beat Chelsea in the final of that competition, but the Foxes have lost both their competitive fixtures since that triumph, while defeats to Wycombe and Burton during pre-season suggest Rodgers’ outfit may be struggling to hit top form.
The Citizens certainly look well placed at 20/21 to win Saturday’s match inside 90 minutes, while Leicester can be backed at 11/4 and the draw is available at 51/20.
Citizens to Put Foxes to the Sword
The Community Shield tends to be a tight affair, with three of the last four editions having gone all the way to penalties, with the only exception being Man City’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in 2018.
However, Saturday’s contest could well prove one-sided, with the light blues set to come up against a Foxes side who have been depleted by injuries at the back, with Wesley Fofana having recently joined fellow defenders Jonny Evans, James Justin and Timothy Castagne on the treatment table.
The Citizens also have fitness concerns, with Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden having been ruled out through injury, while new signing Grealish is expected to start on the bench.
Those absentees will certainly hurt the Citizens, but they can still call on the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Grabiel Jesus in the final third.
The Citizens have also scored in each of their last 13 meetings with Leicester and they could add a few more strikes to that tally on Saturday, with the Premier League champions being priced at 16/5 to score over 2.5 goals in the match.
Mahrez to Haunt Former Club
Algeria international Mahrez was a star performer for Guardiola’s men last season, netting 14 goals across all competitions, but his place in the team could well be in doubt this term following the arrival of Grealish.
However, with Grealish set to start Saturday’s match on the bench, Mahrez is likely to be given a chance to impress against his former club.
The 30-year-old, who left Leicester to join City back in 2018, has a good record against his previous employers, as he has registered two goals and two assists in his five subsequent appearances against the Foxes.
It would certainly be no surprise to see Mahrez get on the scoresheet at Wembley, as he will be looking to send a timely reminder to Guardiola of his qualities, and the winger can be backed at 7/4 to score at anytime.
*All odds correct at time of writing