Leicester City vs Man City Odds & Prediction – England Community Shield

• Leicester City and Manchester City clash in the FA Community Shield on Saturday at Wembley
• This fixture marks the beginning of the domestic season in England’s top flight
• Find the odds, betting analysis, and preview below

Saturday is officially the start of another campaign in English football, with the first trophy of the year up for grabs. The Community Shield brings together the FA Cup winners, Leicester City, and the Premier League champions, Man City. The kick-off is scheduled for 12:15 PM EST at Wembley Stadium in London.

The Citizens have lifted this piece of hardware on six different occasions, including back-to-back years in 2018 and 19′. Leicester on the other hand has never appeared in the Community Shield. In two meetings last term, each side won a game apiece.

Leicester City vs Man City Odds

All odds as of August 5th at DraftKings

Foxes’ New Signings Expected to Feature

Leicester conducted some terrific business in the summer transfer window, bringing in lethal striker Patson Daka from RB Salzburg, midfielder Boubakary Soumare from Lille, and left-back Ryan Bertrand from fellow Premier League side Southampton.

Patson Daka has scored his first goal for Leicester 🇿🇲

Many more to come? 🔥pic.twitter.com/2j1tmiv30g

— GOAL (@goal) July 31, 2021

The always dangerous Jamie Vardy will likely start up top, but we could potentially see Daka come on as a substitute in the second half. Soumare and Bertrand however, have a shot at being in the starting XI on Saturday. The Foxes will also have a different look in between the sticks, with Kasper Schmeichel and Danny Ward yet to return for pre-season action. Defender Jonny Evans will also be unavailable.

Brendan Rodgers’ side was hit with a massive blow in a tune-up clash against Villarreal on Wednesday, with center-back Wesley Fofana suffering a broken leg on a late tackle that will likely keep him sidelined for months on end. The Foxes have played four friendlies in anticipation of the Community Shield, beating the aforementioned La Liga outfit most recently.

Leicester’s Wesley Fofana was stretchered off with what appeared to be a serious leg injury during a preseason game against Villarreal.

Get well soon 🙏 pic.twitter.com/gBVSoWOxfB

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 4, 2021

While this match doesn’t mean a whole lot in terms of the upcoming season, it’s a good test for Leicester to see where they’re at against a top opponent. Rodgers will be looking to Vardy and likely Keleachi Iheanacho to create some havoc amongst a rock-solid Man City backline.

Grealish Debut?

The Citizens finally secured the signature of Aston Villa star Jack Grealish on Thursday on a record-breaking £100 million deal that will see him wear the No. 10 shirt at the Etihad. It’s a tremendous addition to an already strong City attack and there’s a good chance Grealish will be able to suit up in Saturday’s match. He had been training with Villa prior to making the move to Manchester.

OFFICIAL: Manchester City sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for a Premier League record £100M/$140M ✨ pic.twitter.com/6Ur3ReQX3e

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 5, 2021

Pep Guardiola did say back in July though that he would field a lot of substitutes in the Community Shield after numerous players went deep into Euro 2020 and Copa America. But, the likes of Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Ilkay Gundogan, and Riyad Mahrez have all played in pre-season and should be tipped for a spot in the starting XI.

The Citizens are coming off another tremendous campaign, where they comfortably won the Premier League title by 12 points. With Grealish joining the squad and talks still surrounding the possibility of Harry Kane leaving Tottenham for Man City, Guardiola’s men will surely be poised for another terrific season. The Sky Blues were also perfect 3-0-0 prior to this showdown with Leicester, beating Barnsley, Blackpool, and Preston.

Gundo's back, back again! 🙌🎱

🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/eOEVH4se7G

— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 4, 2021

When City won the Community Shield in consecutive years in 18′ and 19′, the English giants beat both Chelsea and Liverpool. It’s a competition where they’ve enjoyed boatloads of success and Saturday presents the opportunity to begin a new term with a piece of silverware.

Leicester City vs Man City Key Stats

Leicester City vs Man City Prediction

While both sides won’t likely go all out with their regular starters, it’s still a chance to lift a trophy. Going off any previous results in pre-season is basically worthless because Leicester and City played a lot of reserves.

However, with Fofana out and Evans not able to play at the back, there are some concerns defensively for the Foxes. We know how many different lethal weapons Man City possesses in the final third and having already tasted victory in the annual fixture at Wembley on numerous occasions, I expect them to run out as winners on Saturday. Also, the ‘Under’ in goals have been hit in the last four Community Shields. With that being said, there’s value in a low-scoring match.

Pick: Man City (-110), Under 2.5 Goals (+115)