3 best bets for the Community Shield – Arsenal v Chelsea

It’s the 93^rd annual curtain raiser and Arsenal will be aiming to win back-to-back community shields following on from their impressive pre-season. The game will be live on BT Sport and is the perfect warm up to the real action kicking off next weekend.

 

Arsenal have shown several flashes of brilliance in their pre-season games, particularly in their 6-0 victory of Lyon in the Emirates cup. They’ve also shared the goals around which will give hope for those beleaguered Gunners fans that they can have their best season in over a decade.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have been poor by comparison, but they say you should never read into pre-season results. The Blues lost 4-2 to New York Red Bulls and Jose Mourinho blasted his side labelling them ‘Fragile’ and ‘Not good enough’.

 

The ongoing feud between Jose and Arsene is an interesting subplot to this match and it’ll be interesting to see if there is a tangible frostiness in the air during the pre-match handshakes.

 

It seems wise to back Arsenal. Both sides have added to their squad over the course of the summer and Petr Cech will be lining up against his former club. He has had an impressive pre-season, not conceding a single goal although he will face a stiffer test here.

Falcao is a risky signing for Chelsea, he didn’t fire at Manchester United and we all know that Mourinho will play with 1 up front. How much game time he actually gets is up for debate.

 

Theo is back for Arsenal and the emergence of Reine-Adelaide is promising for the Gunners. I think they can beat the Blues here. Arsenal seem ready and prepared for this match.

Arsenal to win – 19/10   Betfred

 

Eden Hazard has a terrifically low centre of gravity and he is sure to have another great season for the West London club. He won player of the season in the Premier League and the Belgian can be untouchable at times. He is also a penalty taker, which is crucial to take into consideration.

Despite predicting the Arsenal win, I think Chelsea will get on the scoresheet and I think he will be the man to do it.

Eden Hazard to score anytime – 5/2 – 888 Sport

 

I know these markets can be a bit of a lottery, but these matches can start slowly, particularly with players still gaining fitness after pre-season. Plus, these two teams can often play out a nervy, tense 90 minutes, but I predict this one to spring to life after the 50 minute mark. With possible attacking substitutions and pontentially less riding on this match than a league encounter, the second half could be memorable.

Highest Scoring Half – 2^nd Half 21/20 Bet365

 

How to get enhanced prices with Coral on the Community Shield:

Chelsea 8/1 or Arsenal 9/1 or Draw 10/1!

Using these 3 simple steps:

1. Register with Coral & open an account

2. Deposit £5 or more

3. Place your bet on the community shield & you'll see your enhanced odds on screen

 

Get the enhanced odds here