Manchester City and Liverpool are expected to battle it out once again for the Premier League title this season.
In three of the last four years the clubs have finished in the top two, while no other team have won the title since 2017.
Their respective success has bred a healthy, yet ultra competitive, rivalry between the clubs, who contested an FA Cup semi-final last season and have pushed each other to the wire in two title races in recent years.
Both sides have also lost significant talent this summer in the form of Raheem Sterling and Sadio Mane, while they’ve also added young, promising strikers Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez to their respective ranks.
It’s unsurprising, therefore, that few are tipping anyone other than City or Liverpool to win the title in 2022/23.
This relatively new rivalry will be renewed again on Saturday when the teams play out the 2022 Community Shield in Leicester.
It’s a game that could offer Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp an opportunity to lay down a marker for the upcoming campaign, or take some form of psychological advantage from day one.
But in reality, how pivotal is the Community Shield in determining who finishes first in the league?
We’ve had a look over the last 11 finals to determine whether the season-opener does indeed have any impact on which side end up winning the title…
1. 2011/12: No
It was City who lifted a first Premier League crown that season, despite losing the Community Shield final to Manchester United.
2. 2012/13: No
City claimed the Community Shield in 2012 following their title win, with United not involved in the curtain-raiser. However, Sir Alex Ferguson did bow out with a final league triumph nine months later.
3. 2013/14: No
David Moyes began the season by beating Wigan Athletic at Wembley, although it was City who finished top that term.
4. 2014/15: No
Manchester’s hegemony on the trophies ended in 2014/15 with Arsenal beating City 3-0 in the Community Shield, before Jose Mourinho guided Chelsea to first place in the league.