Community Shield team news and prediction: Arsenal vs Liverpool
The 2019/20 season has only been finished for a week and the Premier League's annual support act is already upon us. Arsenal will face Liverpool in the Community Shield on Saturday, as both clubs step up their preparations for the new campaign.
We have all the need-to-know information ahead of the Community Shield all in one place, where the match is taking place, when, how you can watch it, as well as team news, probable XIs and score prediction.
When is kick off?
Saturday 28th September, 16:30 GMT
Where is the match?
Wembley Stadium, London
Where can I watch it?
BT Sport 1 / BT Sport Extra 1 / BT Sport Ultimate
How they qualified
Arsenal beat Chelsea in last season's FA Cup final to secure their place in the Community Shield for the fourth time in seven years.
Liverpool claimed their first ever Premier League title last term, finishing 18 points clear of their nearest rival.
This is the first time these two sides will face off in the Community Shield since 2002, when Gilberto Silva scored on his Arsenal debut to hand the Gunners a 1-0 win in Cardiff.
Team News
Given the exceptional circumstances, it's difficult to know exactly who is available at this stage, but here's what we do know.
Of Arsenal's summer arrivals, only William Saliba is expected to start for Arsenal on Saturday after the 19-year-old got a run out in their 4-1 win over MK Dons in midweek. Willian didn't play, by contrast, and may only make the bench here. Meanwhile, Arsenal still haven't announced Gabriel's arrival from Lille but he is yet to complete 14 days of quarantine and wouldn't be able to play anyway.
Self-isolation may also force Emiliano Martinez out of the starting XI. He finished last season in superb form but has barely taken part in first-team training in pre-season, with a fit-again Bernd Leno set to start at Wembley. Despite being heavily linked with a move to Wolves, Mikel Arteta is still counting on Ainsley Maitland-Niles and he expected to feature against Liverpool.
Arsenal appear to have given up on re-signing Dani Ceballos for another season and Arteta will have to find a solution in central midfield. Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Mohamed Elneny are all options to start here even though all could be sold before the window shuts.
Things aren't as uncertain at Liverpool but there are still some question marks. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is sidelined with a knee injury but the Premier League champions have at least welcomed captain Jordan Henderson to full training in the last week. Neco Williams looks set to start at right-back after Trent Alexander-Arnold missed their pre-season trip to Austria, while Virgil van Dijk is expected to be fine to start despite suffering a head injury at the start of the week.
Do not be surprised if Rhian Brewster gets a start up front after his impressive goalscoring form in Austria, while Georginio Wijnaldum may drop out of the side due to speculation of a summer move away.
Key Battle: William Saliba vs Joe Gomez
Joe Gomez is widely regarded as one of the standout young centre-backs in the Premier League but Arsenal believe William Saliba can hit similar heights.
Arsenal signed Saliba last summer only to loan the teenager back to French side Saint-Etienne for the 2019/20 campaign. Now at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has high expectations of the 19-year-old and he is expected to form the backbone of their defence alongside with impending arrival Gabriel from Lille.
Saliba's first real test is as tough as they come, potentially tasked with dealing with Liverpool's potent front three: Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino. This will be the first real look of the French centre-back for Arsenal supporters.
The France Under-21 international was limited to just 12 league appearances for Saint-Etienne last season. In that time the teen completed 79.2% of his attempted tackles, 62.5% of his attempted aerial duels and 88% of his passes.
Gomez, meanwhile, has finished on the losing side in just two of the last 32 Premier League games he has started since August 2018.
