Manchester United take on Manchester City in the FA Community Shield. The match will be played on Saturday, August 10th at Wembley Stadium (London).
Manchester United had, objectively speaking, a disastrous 2023/2024 season. Their return to the Champions League ended in disappointment, with losses not only to Bayern Munich but also to more modest opponents like Galatasaray and Copenhagen, failing to progress from the group stage. In the Premier League, a season that began with talks of a title challenge ended with the club slipping to 8th place. However, Ten Hag seems to understand the importance of a strong finish: his team surprisingly won the FA Cup final, securing a trophy for the club, a spot in the Europa League, and giving Erik another chance. The club also made some notable signings, including young talents Zirkzee and Yorro, and pursued the transfer of Mazraoui—someone Ten Hag had previously worked with in England. The defense, after selling Kambwala and Wan-Bissaka and with injuries to Lindelöf and Maguire, desperately needed reinforcement.
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Manchester City also took a step back in 2023/2024. The Citizens set an incredibly high standard for themselves with their treble-winning season two years ago... and couldn’t live up to it this time. In the Champions League, Real Madrid proved to be stronger, more experienced, and perhaps luckier, with Lunin securing victory in a penalty shootout. The FA Cup final didn’t result in a "golden double" but instead saw another defeat in the Manchester derby. Only in the Premier League did a tough race once again end in favor of De Bruyne and company. Interestingly, the club remained relatively quiet in the transfer market. It’s uncertain whether Savio Moreira and Yan Couto, who shone at "sister club" Girona, will play significant roles in the project. On the other hand, they made a good profit by selling players like Rory Delap, who had been out on loan.
Before the aforementioned FA Cup setback, Pep had beaten his neighbors three times in a row. The odds suggest that City will comfortably defeat their opponent. However, considering their possible complacency regarding the Super Cup, a bet on Manchester United with a "+1 goal" handicap seems reasonable.
Prediction for the match: Manchester United to win with +1.0 handicap.
