Arsenal vs Liverpool: Four things we think will happen in 2020 Community Shield

It seems like only yesterday that the 2019/20 season ended, but we are already set to welcome in the new campaign with the 2020 Community Shield.

Premier League winners Liverpool face FA Cup holders Arsenal in the curtain-raiser at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, with both sides looking to continue their build up for the new domestic season.

Most supporters may not count the Community Shield as an official trophy, but it can often offer an insight into how a team may perform for the rest of the campaign.

So, who’s going to win it? And what else do we think could happen on Saturday afternoon?

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1. There will be goals

Liverpool and Arsenal have featured in two of the past three Community Shields and both games finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, eventually going to penalties; Liverpool lost to Manchester City in 2019 but Arsenal beat Chelsea two years earlier.

Given it’s often seen as the first game of the new season, the Community Shield, at times, can be a cagey affair. But with Liverpool and Arsenal involved, it will surely be anything but.

The past four matches between Liverpool and Arsenal have seen at least three goals scored, including the Gunners’ 2-1 win at the Emirates in July. Sure, a 2-1 win doesn’t sound very exciting, and neither does the 1-1 draw in November 2018. But those two matches are the only two in the past 10 games between Arsenal and Liverpool that haven’t had at least four goals.

We’ve had a simply ridiculous 5-5 draw in the League Cup just last season, two 3-1s, a 5-1, a 4-3, a 4-0 and two 3-3s. You name a ridiculous scoreline and Arsenal and Liverpool have probably achieved it.

And that’s before you get to the players set to be involved in the game, with both clubs boasting excellent goalscorers and creators – while defences may still be in pre-season mode.

Relevant William Hill odds:

• Total Match Goals Over 2.5: 6/10
• Total Match Goals Over 3.5: 11/8

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2. Both teams to score early

Sticking with the goals, towards the end of the 2019/20 season, both Arsenal and Liverpool’s games were known for bringing the early action.

The FA Cup final was a prime example of this, with Arsenal conceding to Christian Pulisic inside five minutes but they replied with a goal of their own before half-time through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

In fact, in their last 13 games of the 2019/20 campaign, the Gunners scored 14 first-half goals, 63.6% of their total tally. But they’ve also been pretty leaky at the back. Including Pulisic’s strike for Chelsea, the Gunners conceded five goals in the first half in that same run – 38.5% of their total.

Liverpool also offered excitement in the first half for those watching their games towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign. Scoring 19 goals altogether across nine games, 10 of those came in the first half of matches, or 52.6% for the percentage fans out there. It’s a similar story for goals conceded, with Liverpool letting in 58.3% of their goals in the first halves of their final nine matches, including Dwight Gayle’s goal for Newcastle United in the first minute.

You don’t want to miss kick-off in this one.

Relevant William Hill odds:

• First half both teams to score: 11/4
• Arsenal to score in first half: 11/8
• Liverpool to score in first half: 8/13

3. Friendly vibes to win out

If this was a normal league game, you’d back there to be a bit of fight in these two sides, matched by a referee eager to keep control. In the 2019/20 Premier League, Arsenal were shown more yellow cards than any other team, receiving 86 bookings. By contrast, Liverpool were the least booked, being shown just 38 yellow cards.

But this is the Community Shield.

Given the friendly vibe the curtain-raiser has, referees are mostly more lenient in the Community Shield than they would be in a competitive fixture. Only the harshest of fouls may result in a yellow card, or worse, and the main aim of the game is to keep 22 men on the pitch.

The 2019 Community Shield saw just one player, Kevin De Bruyne, booked in 90 minutes – though Pep Guardiola did also receive a caution for his antics on the sidelines. Going back one year earlier, no player received a card of any colour as Man City beat Chelsea.

That was a welcome change from the 2016 and 2017 Community Shields which saw cards slightly more frequent, though still no more than five – when Arsenal beat a 10-man Chelsea who saw Pedro sent off alongside three other yellow cards. But overall, the Community Shield has been a largely friendly game, with referees more than happy to keep their cards in their pockets.

Relevant William Hill odds:

• Under 4 cards to be shown: 1/2
• 4-6 cards to be shown: 2/1

4. Arsenal to continue glorious Wembley record

Now, we know this is a bold claim, but hear us out. As shown in their FA Cup latter stage wins over Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal have been making Wembley their home.

Since a low point in recent Arsenal history, namely the 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City in the League Cup final during Arsene Wenger’s trophy drought, the Gunners have been almost perfect at the home of English football. Arsenal have won 14 of their past 15 trips to Wembley, only losing the 2018 League Cup final to Manchester City. The run has seen them win four FA Cups, extending their lead as the most successful team in the competition’s history.

Arsenal are also pretty good when it comes to the Community Shield. The showcase’s joint-second-most successful team, the Gunners have won the Community Shield on 15 occasions – the same as opponents Liverpool – including one shared trophy. They have also won their past three Community Shield matches, last losing in 2005, and beat Liverpool in the 2001 game thanks to a solitary goal from Gilberto Silva.

Relevant William Hill odds:

• Arsenal to lift the trophy: 7/4
• Arsenal to win in 90 minutes: 15/4
• Arsenal to win on penalties: 7/1

READ MORE: What next for PSG after their Champions League heartache?