The Community Shield technically isn't a match that means all that much for any of the teams involved. That said, it's the official kickoff of the 2017-18 season, and it's going to be the first shot any team has of sending an initial message to Chelsea, the team ran roughshod on the rest of the Premier League last season. Arsenal will get that chance, and it'll be a nice chance to see if Arsene Wenger can kick off the season in top form after the most embattled year of his career last season.
Don't miss the Community Shield from Wembley Stadium at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, August 6, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX Sports 1.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arsenal +230
Chelsea +110
Draw +250
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
The Community Shield has historically been a relatively tight affair over the course of the last several seasons, and it's hard to see one of these teams blowing out the other. Antonio Conte has historically asked his team to play relatively cautious, staying in form and taking chances on the counterattack when the team must push forward.
That's why Chelsea is only a +110 favorite to win the Community Shield inside of 90 minutes. Sure, the Blues are -170 favorites to ultimately win the silverware, but doing so in the first 90 is going to be tough.
Arsenal, which won the Community Shield in both 2014 and 2015 (including against Chelsea in 2015), is a +230 underdog to win the Community Shield in normal time and is +140 to ultimately capture the trophy.
Roster Analysis
At the end of the season, Chelsea really had a tough time moving forward in attack and playing well in the attacking third. Antonio Conte hasn't done much to really help that out. Alvaro Morata was the big signing of the offseason from Real Madrid, but the Blues are losing Nathan Ake, Bertrand Traore, Kurt Zouma and ultimately, Nemanja Matic to Manchester United.
Arsenal really didn't do a lot in the offseason either, and that's a bit surprising for a team that really felt like it underachieved. There is still a lot to decide in the last couple weeks before the end of the transfer season, but the only man who is going to have an impact here on the Community Shield is Alexandre Lacazette from Olympique Lyon.
Recent Form
Arsenal's preseason wasn't all that great. The team was beaten 2-1 by Sevilla and 3-0 by Chelsea. The only real result of anything to be happy about was a 5-2 triumph over Benfica.
Chelsea started its season with that 3-0 triumph over Arsenal. That said, since that point, the Blues have been beaten 3-2 by Bayern Munich and 2-1 by Inter Milan. The results aren't ones that Conte seem to be all that concerned about, though a poor showing here at Wembley might end up being a bit of a concern.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Chelsea was tremendously dominant in that 3-0 win over Arsenal in Beijing, though this is obviously going to be a different match, knowing that there will only be a few subs for each side instead of seeing basically everyone flipped out at some point.
The fact of the matter remains, though, that Chelsea is the best team in England until further notice, and that's going to include this fixture against Arsenal. Wenger knows that this is going to be a tough season, especially knowing that he didn't get a contract extension in the offseason and enters this year in the last season of his deal.
The starters for the Blues were fantastic in Beijing, including getting a goal from Willian and two from Michy Batshuayi. We're not sure that Chelsea will be as dominant back at Wembley, but we suspect it'll get the Community Shield one way or the other.
Community Shield Odds: Chelsea 2, Arsenal 0
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