This rather pointless trophy is seen as the opening to the English football league season (despite the fact it actually started on Friday with Fulham v Newcastle) and as such is not taken incredibly seriously by those who find themselves in the Community Shield final.
Many believe that last season’s surprise title winners Leicester City will not be able to repeat the same incredible form that saw them lift their maiden top flight title last year. However, apart from N’Golo Kante, all of the major players from that side are still there and are likely to play on Sunday against Manchester United.
Obviously Kante is a big loss for the Foxes but they still have a resilient back-line and an attacking threat that can cause havoc and strike fear right into the heart of any defence. Although their pre-season form has not been the best it does not mean a great deal and I expect them to cause United problems on Sunday.
Marmite man Jose Mourinho finally landed his dream job of Manchester United manager this summer. The former Chelsea boss wasted no time in revamping the squad with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan whilst Paul Pogba is likely to join before United’s Premier League campaign gets underway. Many seem to believe that Mourinho will be United’s saviour, however, the main gripe of the boring playing style under Louis Van Gaal is unlikely to change under a manager who does not have a reputation of playing entertaining football. Furthermore, United’s obvious need for a top-class central defender has not been dealt with.
Although I think United will improve throughout the season once the squad has taken shape and Mourinho gets his ideas across, I am not sure they will come out on top in this match.
Leicester’s squad have already been together for a long time and have got an amazing team spirit whilst United players will need time to gel.
You can get Leicester to win at the very nice price of 15/4 or, if you fancy something less risky, the Foxes to lift the trophy (whether that be in normal time, extra time or penalties) is priced at 2/1.
If you are undecided about a winner (which is reasonable given it is still pre-season) then Both Teams to Score is 10/11. Being a pre-season game I imagine neither of these sides will be too conservative so we can expect a few goals at Wembley on Sunday.
See more tips here.