Liverpool and Manchester City will kick off the 2022/23 season in England this weekend with the FA Community Shield clash at the King Power Stadium.
The traditional curtain-raiser of the English football season will take place on Saturday as Liverpool and Manchester City will battle it out for the 2022/23 FA Community Shield at the King Power Stadium.
Manchester City were once again crowned the champions of the Premier League in what was one of the closely-fought title races in recent history, as Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens finished just a point clear of Liverpool. Having missed out on other domestic trophies in the last season, they will hope to start the season with silverware in the bag this weekend.
Pre-season has been a short one so far for Guardiola’s side as they have played only two friendlies, winning both the games against Club America and Bayern Munich. Buoyed by some brilliant new additions to the squad, Manchester City will be gunning for glory in the 2022/23 campaign, starting with the Community Shield.
Liverpool may have narrowly missed out on the Premier League last term, but they did win the two domestic cups in the form of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. The Reds also came agonisingly close to a triumph in the UEFA Champions League, failing at the final hurdle against Real Madrid. Almost two months later, Jurgen Klopp’s side will lock horns with their arch-rivals for the first trophy of the new season.
The German tactician has been unhappy with the scheduling of the fixture and will go into the game after a mixed pre-season campaign in which they played four friendly matches, winning two and losing two, with the latest one ending in a 1-0 defeat to Red Bull Salzburg. Liverpool have also made some exciting additions to their roster and will be hoping to kick the new season off on a positive note.
Ahead of this enticing fixture between the top two teams in England at the King Power Stadium, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Liverpool will be without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker and forward Diogo Jota, both of whom have only recently returned to training after recovering from their respective injury problems. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Caoimhin Kelleher are also likely to miss out due to muscular issues, while Kostas Tsimikas is also a doubt due to a knock he picked up recently.
Jurgen Klopp should field his strongest possible lineup at the King Power Stadium, with the backline comprising Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson. Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate could be possible options in place of Matip at the heart of the Liverpool backline. Adrian should guard the goal for Liverpool in Alisson and Kelleher’s absence.
Moving into the centre of the park, Fabinho is a certainty to start as the No. 6 from where he will look to curtail the influence of Kevin De Bruyne. He will have support from captain Jordan Henderson, who will provide the energy and the legs in midfield while Thiago Alcantara should take up the third spot in the centre.
Up top, fans will be eager to get a glimpse of new signing Darwin Nunez in a competitive setting. However, Klopp is likely to hold him back and instead opt to go in with Roberto Firmino as his No. 9 against the English champions. Superstar Mohamed Salah and January signing Luis Diaz will flank the Brazilian forward.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Firmino, Diaz
Manchester City
Manchester City will have to make do without the services of key defender Aymeric Laporte, who is expected to be sidelined until September. Apart from that, there are no other major concerns for the Premier League champions heading into the game. New signings Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, Stefan Ortega Moreno and Julian Alvarez could all be in line for their competitive debuts for the Cityzens.
While Ederson is the first-choice goalkeeper, Pep Guardiola could thrust Ortega in goal on Saturday. He will be shielded by the backline comprising Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, who will fill in for the injured Laporte, and Joao Cancelo.
Rodri should get the nod in the No. 6 role as usual for the Cityzens, although it would not be a surprise to see Guardiola hand a starting berth for Kalvin Phillips, who would be more than equipped to handle the occasion. Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, who continues to be linked with a move away to Barcelona, should occupy the remaining two slots in the centre of the park.
Up top, Haaland is a certain starter in the No. 9 role, and all eyes will be on how the Norwegian fares in his competitive debut game for Manchester City. Jack Grealish was City’s brightest player in pre-season and should start on the left flank with Riyad Mahrez slotting in on the right wing.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ortega; Walker, Dias, Ake, Cancelo; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish
Key Stats
- Three of the last six meetings between Liverpool and Manchester City across all competitions have ended in draws, with the former winning one and the latter two.
- Liverpool are the third-most successful team in the history of the FA Community Shield, having won the trophy 15 times. However, they have not won the competition since 2006.
- Manchester City have lifted the FA Community Shield trophy on six occasions, with their latest triumph coming in 2019.
- Pep Guardiola has lost ten of the 24 games (W9 D5) he has managed against Jurgen Klopp – the most in his career.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
There will be plenty of top-quality players on display when Liverpool and Manchester City lock horns on Saturday. But all eyes will be on Erling Haaland, who is set for his competitive debut for the Cityzens. The Norwegian striker is coming on the back of a stunning stint with Borussia Dortmund and was being pursued by almost every top club across Europe, but the Premier League champions prevailed.
Haaland found the back of the net in City’s previous pre-season friendly against Bayern Munich and will look to carry that goalscoring form forward against Liverpool. He has faced the Reds on two occasions in the past, during his time with Red Bill Salzburg, scoring one goal. The battle between him and Virgil van Dijk will make for an enticing match-up.
Prediction
Liverpool 1-2 Manchester City
This is a difficult one to call considering that the two teams have not had a lot of preparation behind them ahead of the new season. Liverpool have won and lost two each of their pre-season fixtures, while Manchester City have picked up two narrow wins in two games.
Both clubs have some world-class players in their ranks, and it is likely to be a tightly-contested encounter at the King Power. However, the presence of Erling Haaland and his potential partnership with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish could give Pep Guardiola’s side an edge. That is why The Hard Tackle predicts a narrow win for the Cityzens.