Arsenal vs Liverpool Odds & Preview: England Community Shield

• On Saturday, August 29, it’s the English Community Shield between Arsenal and Liverpool
• It’s the traditional curtain-raiser for the new season between the winners of the EPL and FA Cup
• We’ll preview the game, look at the odds, some stats, and offer a pick

Just 34 days after the conclusion of the 2019/20 EPL season and 28 after the FA Cup Final, the new English season kicks off on Saturday, August 29, KO 12:30 pm EST, with its traditional curtain-raiser, the Community Shield. It’s a one-off clash at Wembley Stadium between the winners of the 2019/20 EPL, Liverpool, and the 2019/20 FA Cup, Arsenal.

We’ll preview the game, list the odds, compare some stats, and offer a pick.

Arsenal vs Liverpool Odds

Odds taken Aug 26

Liverpool Odds-On

Liverpool starts this one as odds-on favorites – understandable given the light work they made of winning last season’s EPL – but this game will be much closer than the bookies are suggesting. The Mikel Arteta factor can’t be discounted given the huge influence the Spaniard has had on life at the Emirates since he replaced Unai Emery back in December 2019, and Arsenal will fancy their chances here.

Prior to Arteta’s arrival, particularly at the end of the Arsene Wenger era and throughout Emery’s time in charge, Arsenal were known as a team capable of playing attractive soccer but who were also fragile and a little too easy to beat. Things have changed now and among many improvements, Arteta has instilled the Pep Guardiola mentality, of the type that has made Manchester City such a force in the English game.

New Look Gunners

As a result, the Gunners are no longer a soft touch and have learned the value of hard work and high-intensity – the very core of the Guardiola philosophy – and how it can be used in a squad full of technical players to create a dynamic team. Allied to a winning mentality, the Gunners are now much harder to beat, as Liverpool have already discovered.

Pre-season? Up and running ✅ pic.twitter.com/ROHCMf3Wuv

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 25, 2020

In an impressive end to the season, Arteta’s men won five of their last eight league games, including a 2-1 win over Liverpool at the Emirates, and in winning the FA Cup they beat Manchester City in the semi-final and Chelsea in the final – each one a massive scalp. Perhaps even more significant is the fact that in two of those games – against Liverpool and Chelsea – the Gunners came from behind to win; a trait that was largely absent in the Wenger years. The arrival of Willian from Chelsea will only add to the winning mentality that Arteta is building, and they’ll give Liverpool a tough afternoon.

Arsenal vs Liverpool Community Shield Head-to-Head Stats

Continuity the Key For Klopp

For Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool team, this season will very much be a question of ‘more of the same’. Having finally managed to win the Holy Grail of the Premier League for the first time since 1990 and picking up the World Club Championship along the way, there is a danger of anything less being deemed as failure, so the German will be going all out to ensure there’s no complacency in 2020/21.

Klopp has taken the view that continuity is key to further success, so far adding just Greek left-back Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiacos to the squad in exchange for around $15.5 million, but will likely add a couple of new faces before the transfer window closes. He’ll be mainly looking for the heroes of 2019/20 to deliver again, starting with this game against Arsenal, and will be looking for more high-energy, ‘heavy metal football’ to overrun and overpower their opponents.

𝙁𝙐𝙇𝙇𝙔 𝙁𝙊𝘾𝙐𝙎𝙀𝘿 💪💪#LFCPreSeason pic.twitter.com/twJcBvWtO8

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 24, 2020

Arsenal With Good Record Against Reds

In last season’s Community Shield, Jurgen Klopp fielded a full-strength team against  Manchester City in a game that ended 1-1 – City won the Shield by virtue of a 5-4 penalty shoot-out – and I’d expect the German to go strong again as he looks to get another trophy in the cabinet before the real action begins.

But, in addition to beating the Reds at the Emirates in July, the Gunners also drew 5-5 at Anfield in the Carabao Cup last October – before losing on penalties – and have, in fact, lost just two of the last six meetings between the teams. So, this is far from the foregone conclusion the bookies are predicting, and, for me, given the Arteta factor, there’s value here in the Arsenal win. While the Gunners may end up well behind Liverpool in the league, in a one-off game the ‘new’ Arsenal have a great chance.

Pick: Arsenal to win (+375)