-
Man City dominant against Arsenal
-
Gunners' Wembley record provides hope
-
Man City star a tempting 17/102.70 to score
-
Read Betfair's new 90 minute payout offer here
Betfair Super Boost
We're back!
The traditional curtain raiser is here and Betfair have decided to superboost Arsenal's Bukayo Saka at Wembley.
The England international netted 15 times in all competitions last season, and has been amongst the goals in pre-season too.
He's set to start on the right against City on Sunday, and you can now back him at 2/13.00 for a single shot on target - that's superboosted from 1/12.00!
Manchester City won it all last season, but they will start the new season on equal footing with everyone else in the Premier League.
First up for the treble winners is the Community Shield, and City's FA Cup final win means league runners-up Arsenal are their opponents. Mikel Arteta's side finished five points adrift of their rivals last term, but have spent more than £200m in an effort to make up that ground.
Last season, City got the better of Arsenal on three occasions - twice in the league and once, narrowly in the FA Cup. It's a new season, though, and a chance for a new outcome with Arsenal 3/14.00 to win inside 90 minutes.
Arsenal's Wembley form
Arsenal might have struggled against City since Pep Guardiola took over, but they have been more successful at Wembley than even at home. Guardiola hasn't tasted defeat against these opponents in a league game, but did lose two semi-finals in the 2016-17 and 2019-20 editions of the FA Cup.
The Gunners went on to win the final on both those occasions, and on both occasions they won that year's Community Shield. The victories over Chelsea and Liverpool were on penalties, but Arsène Wenger's Gunners were more comfortable against Manuel Pellegrini's City in 2014.
On that occasion, City were coming off their second Premier League title. They were no match for the cup holders, though, with Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud on target in a 3-0 win.
Blooding new signings
Both teams will have new signings looking to make an instant impact. Both have also lost important men, with Granit Xhaka and Ilkay Gundogan - who joined their respective teams within a week of each other in 2016 - moving on in the same window.
Arsenal have forked out £200m on new signings, with half of that money spent on Declan Rice and the remainder put toward Kai Havertz and Jurriën Timber. City, who have lost Riyad Mahrez as well as Gundogan, have already brought in Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovačić and are - at the time of writing - closing in on his international colleague Joško Gvardiol.
A bigger issue for Arsenal is the injury which kept Gabriel Jesus out of their midweek friendly against Monaco. The Brazilian won't feature on Sunday, and is likely to miss a few weeks beyond that, while City's highest-profile absentee could be Kevin De Bruyne, as the Belgian has yet to feature since aggravating in the Champions League final.
The De Bruyne question
City's loss to Arsenal in the 2014 edition, when current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was part of the London side's starting XI, is part of a recent trend of FA Cup winners coming out on top in this fixture. That includes 2019, when City - off the back of their domestic treble - beat Liverpool 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Not only are cup holders City well-placed to succeed, but the only occasion in the last nine Community Shields not won by the cup holders. That was the 2018 edition, when a double from Sergio Agüero gave Guardiola's team - fresh off their 100-point Premier League season - a 2-0 victory over Chelsea.
The anticipated absence of De Bruyne should help the Gunners, though he's 13/102.30 to bag an assist if he does feature. The Belgian has give goal involvements in his last two games against Arsenal, and also set up both City goals in his last trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final.
Manchester City v Arsenal prediction
De Bruyne might not be fit to start, but was an unused substitute against Atlético Madrid last weekend and could be in line for a return from the bench. Even without the Belgian, though, City's deep squad can thrive against their rivals.
Julián Álvarez scored in City's defeat to Liverpool in this game last year, and the Argentine is a factor in our bet builder as he looks to become the first player since 1986 to score in back-to-back Community or Charity Shields, and is 17/102.70 to score any time.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, who scored against City in the league in each of the last two seasons and is expected to return after missing the Monaco game through illness, could also be one to watch with 7/24.50 odds to find the net.
We expect City to win, but it could be a close-run thing. City to lift the trophy, with both teams to score and Álvarez and Saka to both score or assist can be backed at 8/19.00.