FA Community Shield: Manchester City vs Arsenal Odds
Treble Winners Take on Arsenal
2023-24 Season Kicks Off
One week before the 2023-24 English Premier League season starts, Manchester City face off with Arsenal in the FA Community Shield. Last season, City won their first-ever Continental treble. They were victorious in the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League. Arsenal, who finished second in the EPL, led the league for most of the season. Expect Mikel Arteta’s men to be motivated to make a statement as they look to challenge City this season as well. In an excellent matchup, we’ll check out the Manchester City vs Arsenal odds.
FA Community Shield Game Info:
Manchester City vs Arsenal
Day/Time:
Location: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Head-to-Head
Last season, Arsenal and Manchester City met three times. In the Premier League meetings, Man City picked up 3-1 and 4-1 wins. Man City also knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup, with a 1-0 win in the fourth round. The Citizens have won the last eight meetings, in all competitions, by a combined 21-4 scoreline.
However, Arsenal have lifted the trophy in their last four appearances in the FA Community Shield. Meanwhile, City have lost the last two editions of the FA Community Shield. Regardless, the Manchester City vs Arsenal odds price the Cityzens as favorites here.
De Bruyne Still Recovering for Man City
- Last Season: 28-5-5, 1st
- Key Offseason Additions: Mateo Kovacic
Kevin de Bruyne came off in the first half of the Champions League final back in June. Without him, City managed a 1-0 win over Inter for their first-ever UCL crown. However, De Bruyne revealed that he had been playing with a hamstring injury for weeks. The Belgian superstar midfielder hasn’t yet returned to action, as he missed both of Man City’s preseason matches. However, he has been spotted in training. It’s unclear whether Pep Guardiola will risk him at all in this match.
In place of De Bruyne, Guardiola can play Bernardo Silva in attacking midfield. However, City’s midfield is looking a bit thin this season as they have lost Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona and only added Mateo Kovacic. Kovacic, who made the switch from Chelsea, is a box-to-box midfielder and has plenty of experience at the highest level.
Manchester City’s last competitive match ended in silverware and this one could as well. Over the last few seasons, the Manchester City standings have been incredibly impressive. They’ve won the last three Premier League titles and have climbed the EPL rankings over the last decade. Now, only three English teams have more titles than Manchester City.
Last season, City won a famous treble of the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League. Although they lost Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez, City are expected to challenge on all fronts once again. Star striker Erling Haaland broke the record for most goals in a Premier League season in 2022-23 and is still just 23 years old.
Arsenal Aggressive in Transfer Market
- Last Season: 26-6-6, 2nd EPL
- Key Offseason Additions: D Jurrien Timber, M Declan Rice, M/F Kai Havertz
Mikel Arteta was clearly not satisfied with the way Arsenal crumbled towards the end of last season. The Gunners were on top of the EPL table for the vast majority of the 2022-23 season but things changed when defender William Saliba went down injured. Arsenal won just three of their last nine matches of the EPL season and finished in second behind Manchester City. Arteta and sporting director Edu wasted no time improving the squad this Summer.
First, Arsenal signed the versatile Kai Havertz, who scored the winning goal for Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final vs Manchester City. The hope is that Havertz can play in the left-eight role that Granit Xhaka vacated, by going to Bayer Leverkusen. Then, Arsenal broke their club-record transfer fee for former West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.
They also brought in young and versatile defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax. Arsenal may not be done yet, as they’re in talks with Brentford for goalkeeper David Raya. The Arsenal standings show that they’ve won the joint second-most FA Community Shield titles in history. Only Manchester United have won more.
With another year of experience under their belts, Arsenal will look to challenge in both the Premier League and Champions League this season. It finally appears that Arsenal has the depth required to be a major player in both. Arteta certainly values positional competition, with multiple potential starters in most positions. Make no mistake about it, though, players like Rice, Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Gabriel Jesus should be shoo-in starters this season.
Match Analysis & Odds
Arsenal has struggled mightily vs Manchester City in recent seasons. Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal are 1-9 vs. Manchester City and their only win came in the 2020 FA Cup semifinal. Here, the Manchester City vs Arsenal odds price the Cityzens as 0.5-goal favorites. City comes in as -145 ATS and moneyline favorites.
Four of the last five meetings between these sides have finished with three or more goals. City has done most of the scoring during that time, outscoring Arsenal 14-3. Over 2.5 goals display -145 odds for this match as Erling Haaland could be a handful for the Arsenal defense. Arsenal, who have lost their last eight matches vs. Manchester City, are +300 underdogs.
Arsenal +0.5 sits at +115 odds and a draw is priced at +325 odds. The Gunners play Wednesday in a preseason friendly vs Monaco. Bettors should stay on top of any injury news that could arise, but Arteta figures to play his starters for a limited amount of time. City’s last preseason match was last Sunday in Seoul, South Korea as they fell 2-1 to Atletico Madrid.
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