FA Community Shield 2022: Preview, team news, and Fantasy XI
Liverpool and Manchester City kick off the new season with the FA Community Shield. This is a curtain-raiser ahead of the Premier League 2022-23 season, starting next weekend. FA Cup winners Liverpool take on Premier League 2021-22 champions Man City in what is a mouth-watering contest at the King Power Stadium as both teams will want to add another piece of silverware.
Timing, TV listing and other key details
The match will be held at the King Power Stadium in Leicester rather than the usual Wembley Stadium which is set to stage the Women's Euro 2022 final between England and Germany this weekend. The 100th Community Shield fixture will start at 9:30 PM IST. One can watch the match on the Sony Ten Network and stream it on the SonyLIV app (paid subscription).
Becker, Jota, and Laporte to miss the match
Liverpool have a host of players not available for the match. Alisson Becker (abdominal problem) and Diogo Jota (hamstring injury) are set to miss the tie. Kostas Tsimikas is doubtful after picking a knock in training. The likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Calvin Ramsay, and Caoimhin Kelleher are not fully fit. Aymeric Laporte has a knee injury and will miss the match.
Nunez and Haaland are the main focus
City and Liverpool have bolstered their respective forward line with Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez respectively. City roped in Haaland from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth £51m. The 22-year-old left Dortmund having scored 86 goals in 89 games. Meanwhile, Nunez joined the Reds from Benfica for a club record £85m. He smashed 34 goals for Benfica last season.
How did the pre-season go for the two sides?
Liverpool went on a tour of Asia and Europe, while Manchester City traveled to the US. Liverpool started their pre-season with a 4-0 loss to Manchester United in Thailand. Liverpol beat Crystal Palace 2-0 next in Singapore and thrashed RB Leipzig next. They also lost 0-1 versus Red Bull Salzburg this week. City won both their matches against Club America and Bayern Munich respectively.
A look at the probable XI of both teams
Liverpool probable XI (4-3-3): Adrian; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Thiago Silva; Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz. City probable XI (4-3-3): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Joao Cancelo; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne; Riyad Mahrez, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish.
Dream11 Fantasy Football options
Dream11 Fantasy team option 1 (4-3-3): Ederson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, John Stones, Joao Cancelo; Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Rodri; Riyad Mahrez, Erling Haaland (c), Mohamed Salah (vc). Dream11 Fantasy team option 1 (4-3-3): Ederson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, John Stones, Joao Cancelo; Jordan Henderson, Kevin De Bruyne (c), Rodri; Riyad Mahrez, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah (vc).
Pep eyes third Shield honor
Liverpool have won 15 FA Community Shield honors with the last trophy coming in 2006. Man City have won the Shield six times, including twice under Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard helped City lift the trophy in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
