Liverpool FC faces a challenger in the form of Arsenal standing in their way to clinch the FA Community Shield and get off to a great start heading into the 2020-21 season of English top-flight football.
The two sides will go up against each other at the famed Wembley Stadium, where nearly a month ago Arsenal won the FA Cup against arch-rivals Chelsea. The Reds, on the other hand, had seen their 2019-20 campaign end a little early than their Saturday’s opponents after storming to the Premier League title last season.
A traditional curtain-raiser to Premier League football, FA Community Shield’s importance is often the source of discussion. However, the annual game does give both teams a chance to add to their trophy collection with a victory.
Jurgen Klopp’s side had tasted defeat in last year’s FA Community Shield game against Manchester City, losing 4-5 to Pep Guardiola’s men on a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regular time.
Despite being the favorites for the upcoming Wembley showdown, the Reds will be aware of the danger that can be imposed by Mikel Areta’s side, having suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to the Gunners in the dying stages of last season’s Premier League campaign.
WHEN & WHERE?
Date: Saturday 29th August 2020
Time: 3:30 PM GMT
Venue: Wembley Stadium
TEAM NEWS
Arsenal will be without three senior first-team center-backs for Saturday’s game against the Anfield giants with Shkodran Mustafi, Pablo Mari, and Calum Chambers all having been sidelined until the start of the upcoming league campaign.
Wonderkid Gabriel Martinelli is not expected to return to action till the end of the calendar year, giving new Gunners’ signing Willian a clear opportunity to make his debut for the North London outfit.
As for the Merseyside Reds, Jordan Henderson is certain to miss the Community Shield game, having sustained a knee injury in the final games of last season. However, the Liverpool FC captain will make a comeback to group training following Saturday’s fixture.
Trent Alexander Arnold, despite reported to be fully fit, is not expected to start the game against the Gunners. 19-year old Neco Williams, who has deputized for Arnold in Liverpool FC’s pre-season friendly fixtures, will be handed a start by Klopp on the right side of the Reds’ backline.
Pre-Season Form
Having played just a sole pre-season game, Arsenal ran out a comfortable winner against League side MK Dons with a 4-1 victory.
On the other hand, Jurgen Klopp’s side took part in two friendly matches during the Anfield outfit’s pre-season training camp in Austria. The first game against Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart turned out to be a 3-0 victory for the Reds.
However, the second and final friendly commitment of Liverpool FC saw them salvage a 2-2 draw against RB Salzburg, having gone two behind at the stroke of half time.
ARSENAL FC VS LIVERPOOL FC PREDICTED LINEUP
Arsenal FC: Leno; William Saliba, David Luiz, Kieran Tierney; Cedric, Willock, Granit Xhaka, Saka; Willian, Nketiah, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Liverpool FC: Alisson; Neco Williams, Gomez, Van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Curtis Jones, Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum; Mohammad Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane
