30 Jul 2021
PRICE BOOSTS MAX BET £10
MAN CITY TO WIN AND OVER 3.5 GOALS AT 7/2!
Key Players Missing
The Community Shield is never a key piece of silverware, but often a chance for sides to test one or two players out or bed in new signings.
Leicester will likely have something closer to their first-choice team on display however, with a large contingent of Man City players only just returning to training having been involved in the Euros or Copa America this summer.
Indeed, the likes of Ederson, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Ferran Torres and Gabriel Jesus could all potentially be absent.
Still, the squad is rich in resources and so there are plenty of talented players that will take to the field in any case, and of course City have bolstered their ranks with the capture of £100 million man Jack Grealish.
It remains anyone’s guess as to how Pep Guardiola intends to use the former Aston Villa captain when everyone is fit and available, though we might get an idea here with the 25-year-old expected to be involved in some capacity.
Recent Form
Man City have secured easy 2-0, 4-0 and 4-1 pre-season victories over lower-league sides Preston, Barnsley and Blackpool, despite their reduced squad.
However, Leicester have had some discouraging results, failing to beat lower-division outfits Burton Albion, Wycombe Wanderers and Queens Park Rangers, though they did land a victory over Villarreal in their most recent outing.
That did come at a cost though, with young centre-back Wesley Fofana suffering a broken leg, which poses a particular problem for Brendan Rodgers at present.
Former captain Wes Morgan has retired and the experienced Jonny Evans is still sidelined having yet to recover from a foot injury that forced him to miss the FA Cup final against Chelsea.
With that in mind, Filip Benkovic could be set for a rare start at the heart of defence, unless Wilfried Ndidi drops back into the rearguard with new signing Boubakary Soumare taking his place in midfield.
Rodgers has had his options at left-back strengthened with the capture of Ryan Bertrand, though on the other flank he’s currently missing both James Justin and Timothy Castagne through injury, so Ricardo Pereira is certain to start this weekend.
Question marks also remain surrounding James Maddison’s future, with Arsenal keen on the 24-year-old, but his attacking options have been strengthened with the arrival of Patson Daka.
Man City To Beat Leicester
Man City have won four of five meetings between the sides since 2019, while they’ve also won their past two appearances in the Community Shield, beating Chelsea 2-0 in normal time in 2018 and edging past Liverpool on penalties a year later.
City look a strong prospect if some of their international stars are back, even from the bench, with the likes of Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez amongst those almost certain to start.
Ilkay Gundogan To Score Anytime
Gundogan bagged 17 goals and five assists across all competitions last season, often cropping up with late runs into the box.
Given Leicester appear to have some defensive issues with both Evans and Fofana absent, while the German is set to start with others less certain, he looks a value pick in the goalscorer markets.
Man City To Beat Leicester At 10/11
Ilkay Gundogan To Score Anytime At 13/5
LEICESTER V MAN CITY ODDS AVAILABLE HERE
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ODDS ARE CORRECT AS OF 06/08/2021 HOWEVER ARE SUBJECT TO FLUCTUATIONS
