Manchester City vs Manchester Utd prediction: ENGLAND: FA Community Shield betting tips on match 2024-08-09 14:00.
[p]The new top-flight English domestic season starts the same way the last one ended just over two months ago – with a Manchester derby! Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City will be out for revenge as they take on fierce rivals Manchester United under the famous Wembley arch after the Red Devils ran out surprise 2-1 winners in the FA Cup final in late May.[/p]
[p]The Community Shield is the prize at stake this time, and despite their almost unprecedented success in recent years, City have struggled in this particular competition. City have won just six of their 15 Community Shield appearances, while Pep Guardiola’s men have lost the season’s curtain raiser in three successive years – no side has lost four in a row since Manchester United between 1998 and 2001![/p]
[p]Irrespective of that, United’s overall record in the Community Shield is stellar (W21, L9), but this will mark their first participation since their first competitive match under JosĂ© Mourinho back in 2016. The Red Devils have at least won each of their last four appearances at the Community Shield – a sequence that includes a 3-2 victory over City back in 2011 in what was just the second H2H in this competition (L1).[/p]
[p]Manager Erik ten Hag, who has lifted silverware in both of his two campaigns at the helm, will be hoping victory in the FA Cup final helped banish the demons of an otherwise abject 2023/24 season for United. However, a rocky pre-season (W2, L3) that saw new signing Leny Yoro and striker Rasmus Højlund sidelined for the start of the campaign suggests the Dutchman has plenty more work to do to restore optimism at Old Trafford.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Buoyed by netting a hat-trick against Chelsea in City’s final game of pre-season, Erling Haaland will be looking to get his campaign off to a positive start against one of his favourite opponents – he’s netted six times in four league meetings against United. After missing out on selection for Euro 2024, Marcus Rashford could be set to hit the ground running against a side he’s faced a joint-career high 21 times (W7, D2, L12), scoring in six of those matches.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Four of the last seven Community Shields were decided on penalties.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]