Chelsea and Arsenal square off in the Community Shield on Sunday afternoon. Who will come out with the literal shield? This is what we think!
A traditional curtain-raiser for the Premier League campaign, FA Cup winners Arsenal and title winners Chelsea clash in the Community Shield. Read the score predictions from The Pride Of London staff and pick your winner below!
Ajitesh Rasgotra: 3-0. Chelsea desperately need to make a statement after a poor pre-season and Arsenal suck. The Blues will run rampant to kickstart their campaign.
Ollie Miller: 1-1. Arsenal win on pens. Hoping to put a poor pre-season behind them, Chelsea will go a goal behind in the first half but will battle back in the second only to lose the shootout 3-0, not scoring a single penalty.
Scott Brant: 2-1. Regardless that it’s the Community Shield, Antonio Conte will send out his best possible XI. Chelsea will struggle in attack until the second half, when the rust and cobwebs start to disappear. Morata and Bats with the goals for the Blues.
2017/18 Preview: Cesar Azpilicueta, swiss army knives and the von Restorff effect
Travis Tyler: 1-1 Chelsea win on pens. Both teams ride the struggle bus as they attempt to look worse than one another. Petr Cech is a rock during penalties but he can’t be on the other end and Arsenal fall apart during the shootout.
Kevin Peacock: 4-2 Chelsea, with the money from the game going to the victims of the Grenfell tower disaster. Both teams enter into the spirit of community that the game demands. Chelsea, relieved to be playing competitive football again trounce Arsenal with goals from Batshuayi (2), Willian and a debut goal for Alvaro Morata.
Abhishek Pancholi: 2-1. A victory to calm the nerves. The Blues win it late with Alvaro Morata coming on and scoring the winner.
Next: Chelsea must deliver an impact performance against Arsenal
What do you think? Will the Blues be able to banish the concerns of pre-season? Leave us your score predictions in the comments below!