Learn the History to Make Smart Bets on the Community Shield Match This Sunday

This Sunday Wembley will host the FA Community Shield match between Arsenal and Manchester City.

Premier League fans all over the world can’t wait until the season kicks off next Friday, but this weekend there’s a special treat for them – the FA Community Shield match. Often referred to as the “curtain-raiser” of the new season, the match is played between the winner of last season’s Premier League and the holder of the FA Cup.

Naturally, just like with any other league or cup match in Britain, the Community Shield involved lots of betting opportunities under British gambling laws. Since fans and punters are extremely hungry for Premier League betting, this match provides great opportunities to start the wagering season early. The match is scheduled for 15.00 GMT to be played on Wembley.

This time around it’s Manchester City, the crowned Premier League champions, going up against Arsenal, the winners of the FA Cup. Last time Arsenal were playing for the Community Shield was back in 2005, when they’ve lost to Chelsea, failing to retain the title they’ve won from Manchester United a year before. The Citizens grabbed the title from Chelsea in 2012, having lost it one year earlier to rivals from United.

A bit of history and proposed smart bets.

Sunday will see Manchester City and Arsenal battle it out for the Community Shield

• Online sportsbooks in the UK offer a wide selection of betting odds

• Arsenal have more titles in their bag, but Manchester City are favored for the game

• Alexis Sanchez will make his first official appearance for Arsenal

Even though Arsenal have won the Community Shield 12 times compared to just four victories for Manchester City. But land-based and online sportsbooks in the United Kingdom still favor the Citizens to win the trophy with 2.10 odds compared to a line of 3.30 for the Gunners.

14 out of 22 Community Shield matches since the last occasion when the trophy was shared in 1991 were won by the Premier League champions. The last three editions went to the Premier League title holders, while the last four titles were won by Manchester teams. Seeing all this, it’s no surprise that those who bet on sports in the United Kingdom back Man City to beat Arsenal.

Nine out of last eleven matches ended up with both sides scoring at least one goal. The two exceptions were when Portsmouth and Wigan won FA Cups and both were facing mighty Manchester United in the Community Shield. This information provides smart bettors with a great option to wager on both teams to score with 1.66 odds from Bet365.

The last five years the FA Community Shield match was an exciting feature to watch with teams racking up a total of 20 goals in 5 matches. However, 14 of those fell in the second half due to the fact that teams were returning from summer holidays and needed time to really get into the game. It’s a smart bet to back the second half to have the most goals – an occurrence given 2.16 odds at the bookies.

Having said that the most goals during the Community Shield matches fall in second halves of the matches, the first halves rarely finish in goalless draws. The last match where 0-0 was recorded after 45 minutes was in 2008, when Manchester United were battling with resistant Portsmouth. The last two “curtain-raisers” with Manchester City in them saw first goals falling between 31st and 40th minute, so wagering on the same situation for this one – might not be a bad idea, especially when the payout is a huge 7.00.

As for the winning margins, they have been pretty slim in the last years. The last five Community Shield matches to involve Manchester City were all decided by a single goal difference, actually all of them ended up in 3-2 score, regardless if the Citizens won or lost. Three out of five Community Shields with Arsenal in them also had a single goal difference that decided the game. Thus backing Man City to win with a single goal advantage at 4.00 odds from Bet365 is also a smart wager.

Other things to bet during the Community Shield match

Surely the game between two big Premier League sides is exciting enough on its own. However, this time around there are additional factors to fuel the interest in the fixture. Arsenal’s fans are surely looking forward to the first official match of the newest addition to the squad – Alexis Sanchez. Having shined throughout the World Cup, the Chilean striker was won by Arsene Wenger in a hard-fought battle and will surely be a welcome addition at the Emirates.

Arsenal did suffer a loss in this transfer window: Bacary Sagna. The Frenchman actually went to Manchester City, adding another level of spice to the upcoming game.

Besides the warm-up before the start of the new season, the Community Shield offers the chance to kick off the new year with a piece of silverware. And this is something Arsenal haven’t done in a very long time. Their last season’s FA Cup came after an extremely long wait of 10 years since they last won a trophy: 2004 Community Shield actually.

All this makes Sunday’s game especially interesting for both football fans and sports betting enthusiasts. Make sure you don’t miss a minute of it, and if you can’t watch it don’t forget to place a couple of bucks on the team of your choice.