Arsenal v Manchester City Betting Markets
There's a trophy up for grabs when Arsenal and Manchester City descend on Wembley Stadium to contest the Community Shield. The traditional curtain-raiser for the new football season is always played between Premier League and FA Cup winners. The Gunners finally ended their title drought by getting over the line last term, with the bookies making them a 2.45 chance to claim a normal time success.
Much depends on the team that Mikel Arteta fields. We are unlikely to see any of the England players who went deep in the 2026 World Cup, with Eberechi Eze, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke among those who will be on the sidelines. Gabriel and William Saliba may also be absent, although Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres could be among the first-teamers on the pitch.
Manchester City are now operating under Enzo Maresca and he would dearly like to win some silverware to kick off his managerial career at the Etihad Stadium. The Italian won the Club World Cup twelve months ago with Chelsea, although he will be missing a number of stars including new signing Elliott Anderson. It's unlikely that the England man will be recovered in time to play.
Rodri may also be given the opportunity to rest up ahead of hectic campaign, although perhaps Erling Haaland might come in for some minutes considering Norway bowed out a little while ago. It will be interesting to see if any new faces are making an appearance, with several notable departures including Bernardo Silva and John Stones.
When it comes to the match odds, it really depends on the team news before you might consider which way to bet. We think a draw could well end up being the outcome although City did beat Arsenal at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final last season. The 2-0 success means perhaps they could have the edge here.
Goals Under/Over
This Community Shield match will be played a week before the 2026-27 Premier League season begins. Therefore, it will be the final chance for Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca to fine-tune their teams before beginning a title assault. Although both teams will be missing key players for what is a glorified friendly, there will still be a determination to win.
The Over 2.5 Goals is trading at a slightly shorter price than Under 2.5 Goals. The previous meeting between the pair saw Manchester City claim a 2-1 success where eight shots on target were registered. Previously, it was another City victory which came at Wembley when Nico O'Reilly was able to bag a brace as part of a 2-0 victory.
We're leaning towards Under 2.5 Goals at a slightly bigger price considering that the game might be played at a sedate tempo and there might be some dangerous attacking players missing for both teams.
BTTS
The BTTS Yes odds are trading at 1.66 which suggests that both sides will find the net in this clash. There's therefore a 60% chance of this happening according to the bookies. We know that Arsenal and Manchester City are both capable of scoring goals, although the Gunners often adopt a more pragmatic game plan. This might lead to a tighter game.
In four of the past five encounters between the pair, we've seen both teams find the net. It might be that Arteta and Maresca aren't too precious about rock-solid defending. It also stands to reason that Rodri and Elliott Anderson may not be present in the middle of the park which could lead to gaps for Arsenal to exploit.
Without Haaland, Manchester City will clearly be worse off although Maresca was previously in favour of attacking football when in charge at Chelsea. He may be able to call on the services of Rayan Cherki who was used sparingly for France during the World Cup, with Omar Marmoush another player who will hope to get more game time. Let's not forget that Phil Foden didn't travel with the England squad and will be out to prove a point.
First Goalscorer
Rayan Cherki opened the scoring when Manchester City last played Arsenal and the Frenchman might enjoy some big spaces at Wembley Stadium. The attacking midfielder could thrive for Enzo Maresca this term, with Phil Foden another player who will hope to bounce back this season and play his way back into the England squad. It wasn't that long ago that he was the star player internationally.
Erling Haaland is the most dangerous weapon if he lines up. But does he line up? Norway's extended stay in North America might mean he's on the bench, while we can't be sure that Nico O'Reilly will play. However, he did score twice against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final and it might be that he returns to the fold here.
Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus should both be available for inclusion, with the German's World Cup participation ending prematurely and ensuring he gets a decent pre-season. Jesus wasn't part of the Brazilian squad and should be fresh, with Viktor Gyokeres operating in attack too after the Swede left North America a few weeks ago.