The new season gets under way this afternoon, after a very short COVID-inspired preseason, with Premier League champions Liverpool taking on FA Cup winners Arsenal at Wembley.
This game is always tricky to predict, as a trophy is involved but many teams still regard it as a warmup for their league campaigns.
The two teams clashed in the middle of July, with Arsenal beating Liverpool 2-1 as the season wound down. That was one of a series of strong performances that the Gunners put together as the elongated season drew to a close, resulting in them winning the senior domestic cup competition.
Arsenal on that occasion sat deep and looked to counter. They performed similarly against Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinal, resulting in corner counts of 13-2 and 12-2, respectively.
We lean towards Liverpool winning, this being a new season and their title celebrations a thing of the past, but aren’t prepared to bet on it.
Instead, we’ll acknowledge the plethora of corners and take a punt on defensive giant Virgil van Dijk scoring with a header.
Recommendation:
Van Dijk to score a header, 1 pt, at 10/1, SkyBet
