The Golden Nuggets 2010/11 - Community Shield

By Sports Magician

The curtain raiser for the Premier League season is less than two weeks away but injuries are already hitting Chelsea before the season is in full swing. Petr Cech, Alex and Didier Drogba have all been ruled out of the Community Shield clash with Manchester United and Cech and Alex are certainties to miss the start of the Premier League season. Matches like this are always billed as meaningless beforehand but once the whistle blows the competitive juices of both players kick into overdrive.

Manchester United have spent most of their pre-season in the USA with Dimitar Berbatov, in particular, looking sharp and fit. This is a big season for the talented Bulgarian, who has yet to win over the majority of the Old Trafford crowd, and was heavily linked with a move away from the club towards the end of last season. Javier Hernandez’s arrival at the club might have given Berbatov the tap on the shoulder he needed to start to inject some urgency into his game. United have also been boosted by the news that Serbian centre back Nemanja Vidic has signed a new four year deal, ending any immediate speculation about his future.

Both sides shared all of last season’s domestic trophies as Chelsea completed a double in Carlo Ancelotti’s first season in charge, while United won the Carling Cup. Given the absence of key players for this encounter, it’s hard to justify Chelsea at 1.67 to lift the trophy but, United at odds against to do just that certainly appeals.

PICK: 3*MANCHESTER UNITED WIN COMMUNITY SHIELD @ 2.10 (TOTE SPORT / BLUESQ / 888 SPORT)

Sports Magician