Community Shield Betting - Chelsea will halt United's three-peat quest
Soccer betting players are anxious to start the season, beginning with the 87th Community Shield at London's Wembley Stadium on August 9th. Manchester United, the Premiership champions, will take on Chelsea, the F.A. Cup winners, and due to United’s busy offseason, the Blues will capture their first Community Shield since 2005.
Community Shield Odds – Chelsea (+165), Manchester United (+185), Draw (+230)
- United will miss Ronaldo and Tevez
- New coach Ancelotti has a lot of talent at disposal
- United beat Chelsea on penalties in the 2007 Community Shield
Manchester United is still dealing with a couple of high-profile exits over the summer, notably Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Carlos Tevez to rival Manchester City. These two accounted for 40 goals last season, but United got help for Wayne Rooney in the form of ex-Liverpool striker Michael Owen, while Dimitar Berbatov will get more playing time. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are still the best defensive pairing in England, but keeper Edwin Van Der Sar is starting to slow down at 38 years old. Another major concern is the age of the midfield, as Paul Scholes is also appearing to look his age, while one wonders if Ryan Giggs can replicate his Player of the Year form from the previous campaign. If he can, United’s betting chances to win their third consecutive Community Shield go up dramatically.
Chelsea has a new coach at the helm, persuading Carlo Ancelotti to leave AC Milan in favor of London. Ancelotti comes with an outstanding resume, having won two Champions Leagues and a Serie A title with Milan, and he inherits a great team led by the English duo of captain and defender John Terry, and midfielder Frank Lampard. Striker Didier Drogba signed a new club to stay on with the club, but it was partner Nicolas Anelka who paced the team with 25 goals during the 2008-09 season. Joe Cole should return to the midfield after missing a lot of time last year with a knee injury, but the Blues will need more out of Michael Ballack and Deco if they want to mount a challenge to United’s Premiership crown.
Soccer lines have Chelsea as a -165 favorite to avenge their 2007 loss to United in this match, as Van Der Sar stopped all three Chelsea attempts in a 3-0 shootout victory. United still have to figure out where their other scoring will come from with Ronaldo and Tevez gone, because Rooney surely can’t do it all on his own. Even though Chelsea has a new coach, they have an excellent foundation in Terry, Lampard and keeper Petr Cech, who is looking to bounce back from a disappointing year by his standards. United’s forwards still have to work on a rhythm, which should eventually come, but not on August 9th. Take Chelsea in your offshore sportsbook.
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