The 2022–2023 English Premier League season is around the corner. Before that, football fans will witness an exciting match between reigning Premier League champions Manchester City and FA Cup winners Liverpool on Saturday (July 30) at Leicester's King Power Stadium. Apart from the possibility of winning a trophy, this matchup can act as a perfect dress rehearsal for both teams for the upcoming season. The Manchester City vs Liverpool FA Community Shield 2022 match preview is discussed in this article.
FA Community Shield 2022: Liverpool vs Manchester City Probable Lineups
Man City’s Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte will be unavailable for selection due to an injury. Apart from him, the rest of the players are available to be included in the squad for the Community Shield match. All eyes will be on City’s blockbuster signing, Erling Haaland, and he is likely to start in Saturday’s big clash against Liverpool. The other new signings, Julian Alvarez and Kalvin Phillips, will most likely have a chance to play against Liverpool.
Read UEFA Women’s EURO 2022: Previews for the semifinals
Predicted Starting XI (Manchester City):
GK: Ederson Moraes; Defenders: Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Joao Cancelo; Midfielders: Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne; Forwards: Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland
Liverpool, on the other hand, will miss some of their key players for the Community Shield fixture against Man City. Goalkeeper Alisson has a slim chance to play the game, while Diogo Jota, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Calvin Ramsey are all likely to miss the fixture due to injury issues. Liverpool’s new summer signing, Darwin Nunez, will likely start the match.
Predicted Starting XI (Liverpool):
GK: Adrian; Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip, Andrew Robertson; Midfielders: Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita; Forwards: Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez.
Read Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2022: Pre-season el clasico match preview
Match Prediction: Manchester City vs Liverpool FA Community Shield 2022
It’s well-known that Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola and Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp have completely different philosophies. Therefore, there is no similarity in their tactics. Guardiola prefers tiki-taka possession-based football, while Klopp demands high-intense, counter-attacking heavy metal football.
4-1-4-1 is very effective in Guardiola’s system, which can become 4-4-2 sometimes. It will be interesting to see how Pep uses Erling Haaland in his system. He is a tall, lethal striker who can provide a lot of goals for the Blues.
However, Haaland may have to adapt to Guardiola’s passing system as quickly as possible. Julian Alvarez, another new arrival at Manchester City, may be a better fit for Pep's philosophy. Man City will have the upper hand to beat Liverpool in the match If the team can execute their plan properly.
Read Cristiano Ronaldo's Summer Football Transfer 2022: 5 potential destinations
On the other hand, Klopp prefers 4-3-3 and uses his two wings for counter-press. In the last few seasons, one of Klopp’s main weapons was Sadio Mane, but he left the club this summer for Bayern Munich. Liverpool bought Darwin Nunez from Benfica to replace Mane in the pressing role. Will he be able to replicate what Mane did during his time at Liverpool?
The Manchester City vs Liverpool FA Community Shield 2022 match would give an idea of how good Nunez is. Liverpool’s wings will play a big part in the match to break through Man City’s defense. Besides, midfielders have to play a major role in taking control of the midfield.
Overall, Liverpool have won 15 Community Shields, while Manchester City have won 6. Who will win the 2022 FA Community Shield trophy? The match will kickoff on Saturday at 10 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).
Read Summer Football Transfer Window 2022: 13 most significant moves so far
Prediction:
Manchester City 3 – 2 Liverpool
Bottom Line
Manchester City and Liverpool have strengthened their respective squads in the ongoing summer football transfer window 2022 to be even more competitive for the upcoming season. Man City clinched the League title on the final matchday last season but missed out on reaching the finals in any of the other three competitions. Liverpool, on the other hand, reached three finals but only won the FA Cup. They also finished second in the Premier League.
Both teams will once again be hot favourites to win the domestic league as well as the UEFA Champions League in the 2022-2023 season. Therefore, the Manchester City vs Liverpool FA Community Shield 2022 clash would give an idea of which team is in the best shape at the moment prior to the upcoming Premier League season.
Read Summer footballer transfer window 2022: 5 big moves can happen before deadline