Premier League champions Arsenal take on FA Cup winners Manchester City in the Community Shield in Cardiff on Sunday afternoon.
Arsenal finally ended their 22-year drought for a Premier League title last season, as they finished seven points clear of Manchester City.
However, the Gunners failed to get their hands on the Champions League trophy for the very first time, as they suffered an agonising defeat to PSG on penalties in the final.
For the first time in 10 years, Manchester City will be without Pep Guardiola in the dugout, as ex-Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca takes over from the Spaniard.
Whilst the Citizens failed in their pursuit of both the Premier League and Champions League, they still managed to pick up another couple of trophies, as they defeated the Gunners 2-0 in the League Cup final and Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final.
How the bookies view it: Arsenal slight favourites
Arsenal are marginal favourites to get their hands on the Community Shield, with bet365 pricing them at 4/5 To Lift the Trophy, whilst the win inside 90 minutes is 8/5.
Manchester City are 19/20 to claim success in the Welsh capital on Sunday, with the win inside regulation time priced at 7/4.
Head to head: Three unbeaten for City
Despite losing out on the title race with the Gunners, Manchester City managed to take four points from Arsenal in the Premier League last season, as well as defeating them in the final of the League Cup.
Players to watch: Kai to continue his form
Kai Havertz missed the majority of last season due to injury, but finished the campaign strongly, providing a goal contribution in each of the Gunners’ last three matches – including netting in the Champions League final.
The German – who scored three times at the World Cup – also scored against Manchester City when the sides last met at the Etihad in April, and is an appealing 6/4 at bet365 to Score or Assist in Cardiff on Sunday.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Predicted line-ups:
Arsenal are still without defenders William Saliba and Jurrien Timber, whilst Manchester City will be without midfielder Rodri.
Arsenal: Raya, White, Gabriel, Mosquera, Hincapie, Guimaraes, Odegaard, Madueke, Eze, Martinelli, Havertz
Manchester City: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Reis, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Reijnders, Savio, Foden, Semenyo, Marmoush
Anything else catch the eye?
This match is often seen as a glorified friendly, but both managers will look to make a winning start to the campaign and get their hands on some silverware.
Interestingly, a common theme of these matches in recent seasons is the number that have gone to a penalty shootout, with each of the last three and six of the previous nine editions going straight to spot kicks.
That includes the last three times the Gunners have participated in the competition – including their most recent outing against Manchester City at the beginning of the 23/24 season – and backing a repeat appeals at 23/10 at bet365.
GambleAware