With the World Cup 2022 in Qatar taking place from November through to the end of December, this has necessitated an earlier than usual start for the Premier League this season meaning that the Community Shield has been moved from its early August start date, to the end of July.

The traditional curtain raiser to the season sees the Premier League Champions and FA Cup Winners of last season meet and this year, that means Manchester City and Liverpool will once again lock horns for another exciting showdown.

However, with both teams jetting around the world during a busy pre-season, plus a number of major changes in personnel for both teams, could we see the start of a new era of rivalry between the two?

As always, bet365 Sport is the place to head for all your betting needs on the Community Shield with plenty of pre-match markets available, plus many more as we head closer towards the game.

And don’t forget, you’ll have a fantastic choice of In Play bets to enjoy once the game kicks off too.

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Let’s begin by taking a look at some of the key changes made by both teams over the course of the post-season period.

Community Shield Preview – Manchester City v Liverpool

• Date – Saturday 30^th July
• Venue – King Power Stadium, Leicester
• Kick Off – 5pm UK Time
• Referee – Craig Pawson
• Assistants – Harry Lennard, Nick Hopton
• 4^th Official – Darren England
• VAR – John Brooks, Assistant VAR – Lee Betts
• Rules – 90 Minutes played only – If the game finishes in a draw then a penalty shoot-out is used to decide the winner. Up to six substitutions per team are permitted.   

This year’s match has been moved to the King Power Stadium as Wembley Stadium is unavailable due to the final of the Women’s European Championships taking place on the same date.

This year’s match will be the 100^th time the game has been played.

Manchester City have won the trophy six times, last time in 2019 and Liverpool have won it a total of 15 times, most recently in 2006.

Team Profile – Manchester City

• Manager – Pep Guardiola
• League Position Last Season – 1st
• Ground – Etihad Stadium
• Capacity – 55,017
• Trophies Won Last Season – Premier League
• Leading Goalscorer – Kevin de Bruyne – 15 goals

The Premier League Champions have been busy in the pre-season period, with a number of players leaving the club and some major signings coming through the door.

Manchester City – Key Losses

• Fernandinho (DMC)– to Atletico Paranaense (Free)
• Gabriel Jesus (AC) – to Arsenal (£45m)
• Raheem Sterling (AMRC)– to Chelsea (£50m)
• Zack Steffen (G)– to Middlesbrough (Loan)
• Oleksandr Zinchenko (DMLC) – to Arsenal (£32m)

Manchester City – Key Signings

• Erling Haaland (AC) – from Borussia Dortmund – (£51m)
• Kalvin Phillips (DMC)– from Leeds United (£50m)
• Stefan Ortega (G)– from Arminia Bielefeld (Free)

With the transfer window still open for a month or so yet, Manchester City seem to have concluded their main business with the sale of Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus bringing in well over £115m in cash a good chunk of which has been spent on Erling Haaland from Dortmund and Kalvin Phillips from Leeds.

Haaland in particular will give a new dimension to City, as they won the title last season without really playing a recognised number 9. His pace, power and guarantee for goals should mean that City are even more potent next season than they were last season.

Kalvin Phillips will come in to replace the departed Fernandinho and he will likely vie for playing time either alongside or in place of Spaniard Rodrigo.

Raheem Sterling’s sale was probably not as surprising as some of the others as the English star wasn’t really featuring much towards the end of last season and it seemed clear that Pep Guardiola seemed to prefer other options in attack to Sterling.

With Zinchenko and Jesus also moving on to Arsenal, plus a number of fringe squad players sold to raise valuable additional funds, City look well set heading into the new season.

Manchester City Full Squad

Goalkeepers

• Ederson (G)
• Stefan Ortega (G)

Defenders

• Kyle Walker (DRC)
• Ruben Dias (DC)
• John Stones (DC)
• Nathan Ake (DRC)
• Joan Cancelo (DL)
• Aymeric Laporte (DC)

Midfielders

• Kalvin Phillips (DMC)
• Ilkay Gundogan (MC)
• Jack Grealish (AMC)
• Rodrigo (DMC)
• Kevin De Bruyne (AMC)
• Bernardo Silva (AMLC)
• Phil Foden (AMRC)
• Cole Palmer (MC)

Attackers

• Erling Haaland (AC)
• Julian Alvarez (AC)
• Riyad Mahrez (AMLC)

Probable Manchester City Team – (4-3-3) – Ederson, Walker, Cancelo, Laporte, Dias, Rodri, Phillips, De Bruyne, Haaland, Mahrez, Foden

Team Profile – Liverpool

•  Manager – Jurgen Klopp
• League Position Last Season – 2nd
• Ground – Anfield
• Capacity – 53,394
• Trophies Won Last Season – FA Cup, Carabao Cup, 2^nd in Premier League & Champs League
• Leading Goalscorer – Mo Salah – 23 goals

Liverpool – Key Losses

• Divock Origi (Ac) – to AC Milan (Free)
• Loris Karius (G) – Free Agency
• Sadio Mane (ALC)– to Bayern Munich (£35m)
• Takumi Minamino (AMC)– to AS Monaco (£15.5m)
• Neco Williams (DR)– to Nottingham Forest (£17m)
• Ben Davies (DC)– to Rangers (£4m)

Liverpool – Key Signings

• Fabio Carvalho (AMLC)– from Fulham (£10m)
• Darwin Nunez (AC)– from Benfica (£64m)
• Calvin Ramsey (DMR)– from Aberdeen (£6.5m)

Like City, Liverpool will have a new look attack this season after Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino moved on and Fabio Carvalho and Darwin Nunez signed up.

Nunez offers Liverpool something very different to Mane, playing a more central role in the team and perhaps this means a more significant role in the team for Luis Diaz as one wide man with Mo Salah, who signed a new contract in the summer, operating on the other.

Carvalho and Ramsey are good young prospects and both should get chances in the first team, notably in the cup competitions, but the rest of the Liverpool team looks pretty much well-settled with there not likely to be too many changes to the first choices in goal, defence or midfield this season.

Liverpool Full Squad

Goalkeepers

• Alisson Becker (G)
• Caoimhin Kelleher (G)
• Adrian (G)

Defenders

• Trent Alexander-Arnold (DMR)
• Andy Robertson (DML)
• Konstantinos Tsimikas (DL)
• Joel Matip (DC)
• Virgil van Dijk (DC)
• Joe Gomes (DRLC)
• Ibrahima Konate (DC)
• Calvin Ramsey (DMR)
• Nat Phillips (DC)

Midfielders

• Fabinho (DMC)
• James Milner (DMLRC)
• Jordan Henderson (MC)
• Thiago (MC)
• Naby Keita (AMLC)
• Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (AMRC)
• Curtis Jones (MC)
• Harvey Elliott (AMLC)
• Fabio Carvalho (AMLRC)
• Tyler Morton (DMC)

Attackers

• Roberto Firmino (AMC)
• Mo Salah (AMLC)
• Diogo Jota (AC)
• Luis Diaz (AMRC)
• Darwin Nunez (AC)

Probable Liverpool Team (4-3-3) – Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Fabinho, Thiago, Henderson, Salah, Diaz, Nunez

Community Shield Predictions

Manchester City v Liverpool games are never friendly matches and this one is not likely to be one either, with both teams keen to land the first piece of silverware of the season.

Bet365 Sport have City as the clear favourites at 7/5 and it is going to be intriguing to see how their key new signing Haaland performs against Liverpool’s defence and also how he slots in alongside the other players that City have around him in midfield and attack.

Liverpool have a similar issue with Nunez although he is perhaps a little more raw then Haaland but he terrorised Liverpool’s defence in the Champions League last season and Reds fans he will be hoping he gets chances to do that this season to teams in the Premier League.

I think this one will end as a draw, which is a 23/10 shot with perhaps Liverpool landing the game via a penalty shootout.