The Community Shield sees Leicester take on Manchester City at Wembley and Tom Carnduff picks out his best bets.
Football betting tips: Community Shield
1pt Leicester to win on penalties at 15/2 (Sky Bet)
1pt Manchester City to win on penalties at 15/2 (Sky Bet)
The Premier League champions Manchester City face FA Cup winners Leicester in the 2021/22 season curtain-raiser at Wembley. It's not the most important trophy available to clubs but it is one they will want to win to get their campaign underway in positive fashion.
With Euro 2020 taking place over the summer, some players will be missing from this while it may come too soon for Jack Grealish - despite the fact that he is expected to join City in the coming days. It does give others the chance to shine though alongside getting the regulars up to speed ahead of the main kick-off.
The Community Shield is often a tight affair because of the pre-season feel that comes with it. In fact, only once in the last 22 matches has a team won by a margin greater than two goals - Arsenal's 3-0 win over Manchester City in 2014 being the most convincing in recent times.
Even with City's Premier League dominance last season, we could expect this to be a close game with neither side likely to be at full strength. Three of the last four Community Shield games have been settled on penalties and the same could happen this time around.
It's a best price of 3/1 for the draw, but it's better to go down the route of backing LEICESTER TO WIN ON PENALTIES and MANCHESTER CITY TO WIN ON PENALTIES as both are 15/2 shots with Sky Bet. If the match is level after 90 minutes, it goes straight to a shootout.
Apart from the Foxes' shock 5-2 victory at the Etihad last season, the games between the two sides are often fairly close.
There is also the recent history in this competition and how often the games going beyond 90 minutes. 43% of Community Shield contests from 2007 onwards have finished in a draw in 90 minutes. From the games that didn't, 50% were wins by a single goal margin.
A low-scoring contest isn't exactly the thriller to kick off the 2021/22 campaign but it does at least provide the entertainment of a penalty shootout. City being a shade of odds-on highlights that it isn't expected to be as convincing as usual - the draw represents good value here.
Leicester v Manchester City best bets and score prediction
- 1pt Leicester to win on penalties at 15/2 (Sky Bet)
- 1pt Manchester City to win on penalties at 15/2 (Sky Bet)
Score prediction: Leicester 1-1 Manchester City (Sky Bet odds: 6/1)
Odds correct at 1415 BST (05/08/21)
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