New Delhi: Liverpool ended the Premier League just a point behind Manchester City in last season. The two sides have seen significant summer transfer activity, before they meet in the Community Shield final at Leicester’s King Power Stadium on Saturday, July 30.
Goalscoring in the Premier League last season wasn’t exactly a big issue for the Sky Blues and Reds as they scored 99 and 94 goals respectively. Still, both sides have spent big on their forward line.
Manchester have signed Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth £51m. The Norwegian is only 22 but has been prolific for club and country for some time. Haaland has 20 goals in 21 games for Norway and left Dortmund having scored 86 goals in 89 games.
While Liverpool’s main signing of the summer was Uruguay forward Darwin Nunez, who joined from Benfica for a club record £85m, the 23-year-old has adapted well since moving from South America to Europe and scored 34 goals in 41 matches for the Portuguese side last season.
In the pre-season games, Liverpool went on a tour of Asia and Europe, while Manchester City traveled to the US for a couple of fixtures.
The Reds kicked off their pre-season with a 4-0 loss to Manchester United in Thailand – a game in which Nunez made his debut and had a moment to forget as he missed an open goal.
Jurgen Klopp’s side followed that with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in Singapore as Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah scored before Nunez hit four goals against RB Leipzig. Nunez was taken off at half-time as Liverpool lost 1-0 to Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday.
On the other hand, City played two games in the United States, against Club America and Bayern Munich. The Citizens beat the Americans 2-1 with De Bruyne scoring twice. Haaland struck his first goal for the club against Bayern, scoring after 12 minutes in a 1-0 win.
Injuries aside, the Community Shield should indicate what Guardiola and Klopp view as their strongest XI.
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