Community Shield: Manchester City Vs Chelsea

Okay, okay, so it’s essentially irrelevant, but we’ll take the Community Shield as a means of quenching our thirst for the Premier League.

As usual, the winners will claim victory as being of the utmost importance, whilst the losers will dismiss defeat and focus on the conditioning benefits.

First things first, most of you will be gagging to bet on something non-Olympic related – so markets for the game and free bets for new users are available from Paddy Power, William Hill, and Bet365.

Chelsea are undeniably improved, but only in one part of the pitch. There are obviously a lot questions about how their new attacking third will actually function and what personnel will be deployed in which roles. As a guess, expect the following to start:

Roberto Di Matteo will likely encourage that advanced midfield three to be fluid, and to interchange throughout the game – they’re all capable of playing in each others’ positions, and as such can be creative all the way across that front line.

Obviously there are still concerns over the defence, and no progress has yet been made in the transfer market in improving that area – whatever happens before the end of the window, a specialist right-back is an absolute must. Branislav Ivanovic is a good defender, but the Serb struggles against the subtler players in the league – so expect him and David Luiz to labour against David Silva as the Spaniard drifts in and around the hole between them.

From a betting perspective, look at any market which allows for Chelsea to score and concede.

City will be without Gareth Barry and Michah Richards today, so will likely start the game looking like this:

Nigel De Jong will drop into the deeper midfielder position, with Yaya Toure pushed forward to occupy a more advanced role – which, given the extra protection De Jong’s gives, is probably a benefit forced by circumstance. That corridor in front of City’s defence will be bustling this afternoon, and the Dutchman’s ability to break-up the play will be crucial.

Expect Edin Dzeko to be left on the bench in light of his moaning last week, and Carlos Tevez to start in his place. Again, that probably provides a better match-up against Chelsea’s static defenders – Tevez and Aguero will provide the kind of movement and invention that Terry & Co will find extremely difficult to subdue.

City are what they are – solid, compact, and capable of fleeting brilliance. Go with a 2 or 3-1 win for the Champions, and you won’t be too far out of pocket by the end of the day.

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