Community Shield tips and betting preview

Although the Community Shield is comparatively paltry in terms of prestige compared to the honours that both Chelsea and Liverpool will be vying for this season, it would be folly to suspect that both sides will not approach Sunday's match with a desire to win. Despite the fact that overall Liverpool have a solid record against Chelsea - they've won 64 of the 142 fixtures in the history of the two clubs - the Blues have held sway in recent season's, obviously the bottomless pockets of Mr Abramovich have been somewhat helpful. The Blues have beaten Pool in nine of their last 19 meetings - Liverpool winning six times, the rest ending all square. However, despite this stat, Rafa Benitez's men have proved to be a genuine nemesis to the south west London side during the past few years, knocking Jose Mourinho's men out of the FA Cup semi-final last term, and eliminating them from the Champions League at the same stage during the 2004/05 campaign. It's hard to say how strong a side both teams will field, as Mourinho and Benitez will be mindful of the fact that, with plenty of tension existing between their respective charges, this match could get a bit heated. As such, I envisage that the key players that took part in the World Cup will not be sighted at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday. However, given the strength in depth of Chelsea and Liverpool, their respective starting XI's will still make for a mouthwatering clash, and I am of the opinion that Liverpool will emerge victorious, about which VCBet offer magnanimous odds of 13/5. Despite the fact that Liverpool's 2-1 beating of Maccabi Haifa in their Champions League qualifier at Anfield on Wednesday evening wasn't as comfortable as some anticipated - myself included - there were many positives to draw from their performance, not least the impact that the new signings made. Jermaine Pennant looked lively on the right side of midfield, while both Craig Bellamy and Mark Gonzalez scored on their Liverpool debuts. Mourinho handed debuts to summer signings John Obi Mikel, Andriy Shevchenko, Michael Ballack and goalkeeper Hilario in their midweek friendly with Celtic at Stamford Bridge, which ended 1-1. Surprisingly, given Celtic's poor run of results in their previous pre-season games, they matched Mourinho's Galacticos pound for pound for the lion's share of the game. It would be plain foolish to read too much into that game, as it was totally meaningless, but I have a strong suspicion that Chelsea are not going to be as rampant as many seem to be predicting this season, and that Liverpool will bridge the gap that saw them finish nine points adrift of Chelsea in the Premiership last term. They can start by winning the Community Shield on Sunday. Verdict - 2pts Liverpool in the match result market @ 13/5 (VCbet)