2024 Community Shield: Three Tips From Manchester City Vs Manchester United
Manchester City and Manchester United meet in Saturday's Community Shield at Wembley in the 194th derby between the two sides. Football betting sites have City as the odds-on favourites.
Remarkably, none of the meetings before 2011 took place at Wembley, but this will be their third clash at the home of football in the last 15 months.
The first two were for FA Cup glory and while the Community Shield is not high up each team's wish list, it's a chance for supporters to enjoy the bragging rights, currently held by United who beat City 2-1 in May's FA Cup final.
This will be City's fourth successive appearance in the traditional curtain-raiser to the Premier League season. Pep Guardiola's side have lost the last three but went on to win the league title.
So, who will be victorious at Wembley? The Panel are sharing three of their best bets.
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The Panel's Community Shield Predictions:
- Jermey Doku To Be Anytime Scorer At 10/3 With Bet365
- Under 2.5 Total Goals At 33/20 With Unibet
- Manchester City To Win On Penalties 7/1 With BetGoodwin
Doku To Shine On Wembley Stage
Jeremy Doku pushed Jack Grealish out of City’s starting XI last season and the winger is likely to be a regular pick in the forthcoming campaign for Guardiola.
Doku was a key member of Belgium’s European Championship squad, but is back in training with many of his City team-mates after his country crashed out to France in the last 16.
The former Anderlecht and Rennes player scored six goals for City in all competitions last season, including a late consolation against arch rivals United in the 2-1 FA Cup final defeat in May, so he knows how to breach their defence.
Furthermore, the Red Devils conceded eight goals in their final three pre-season friendlies and look vulnerable to the pace and skill of Doku.
There have been at least three goals in the last seven meetings between these teams, so an open encounter looks on the cards, with Doku an attractive option at 10/3 on betting apps to find the net any time.
The Panel Tip 1: Jeremy Doku To Be Anytime Scorer - 10/3 With Bet365
Goals May Be Scarce In Curtain-Raiser
The statistics provide compelling evidence that the trend of low-scoring games in the traditional season opener is likely to continue on Saturday.
Across the last 38 matches played at Wembley, the average total goals per 90 minutes stands at a modest 1.94 during regular time, with only four of those games exceeding the 3.5 goals mark.
Further reinforcing this pattern, seven of the last 10 Community Shield matches have gone under the 2.5 goals line, with nine of them producing three or fewer goals.
Despite being viewed as little more than a friendly, this data highlights a clear tendency for these games to be tightly contested and close encounters, with few goals scored.
Given this, betting on under 2.5 goals seems like the smart choice, especially considering that neither of these two major rivals will be eager to take unnecessary risks in a game that nobody will want to lose.
The Panel Tip 2: Under 2.5 Total Goals - 33/20 With Unibet
Manchester City To Win On Penalties
Both managers will approach this year's Community Shield in different ways. City boss Pep Guardiola uses the game as part of his pre-season preparations for the Premier League and isn't bothered if his side win or lose.
His United counterpart Erik ten Hag can make it three successive seasons with a trophy, even if the Community Shield is not treated with the respect of the other domestic trophies such as the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.
Four of the last seven Community Shield games have ended 1-1 and been decided on penalties. Like the Carabao Cup ties, this game will go straight to penalties if the score is level after 90 minutes, so no extra-time is scheduled.
Teams rarely get a chance to practice penalties in a game environment where the stakes aren't as high as they would be in the Champions League, so both managers might use this game to get their players some shootout practice.
United are 15/2 with BoyleSports to lift the shield on penalties on new betting sites, but The Panel are tipping City to get their hands on the trophy they won in 2018 and 2019.
The Panel Tip 3: Manchester City To Win On Penalties - 7/1 With BoyleSports
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