FA Cup winners Arsenal will take on Premier League champions Liverpool in the Community Shield on Saturday afternoon, and it is set to be a fascinating affair at Wembley Stadium.
Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final earlier this month, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring a double for the Gunners as they ended the 2019-20 campaign with silverware.
Liverpool, meanwhile, breezed to the Premier League title, ultimately finishing 18 points clear of second-placed Manchester City, winning 32 of their 38 games in the process.
Both sides are building towards the start of their 2020-21 Premier League seasons, with Arsenal due to start away to Fulham on September 12, while Liverpool are set to tackle Leeds United on the same day.
Some of the Premier League's biggest stars will be on display in London on Saturday and with that in mind, Sports Mole picks a combined XI from both squads, using only players available for the game.
In truth, it was not difficult to pick the goalkeeping spot in this particular XI. Bernd Leno was actually one of Arsenal's best players last season before picking up a knee injury, but Alisson Becker is deserving of the spot between the sticks here. The Brazilian has been a revelation since arriving from Roma and ended the 2019-20 campaign with 17 clean sheets in 37 appearances in all competitions.
It would have been an all-Liverpool back four had Trent Alexander-Arnold definitely been available, but there is some uncertainty surrounding his fitness. Indeed, the right-back has been named in the latest England squad but did not travel on Liverpool's pre-season trip to Austria. As a result, Kieran Tierney, who finished the season brilliantly for Arsenal, moves across from left-back to take the spot on the right.
It was then very difficult to make a case for another Gunners defender; Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson are absolute certainties due to their importance to the English champions, while Joe Gomez is given the nod alongside teammate Van Dijk over the likes of David Luiz, Rob Holding and William Saliba, which is not too much of a surprise.
Further forward, Liverpool also dominate the midfield as Fabinho lines up alongside Georginio Wijnaldum. Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are both out through injury, while it was difficult to choose the likes of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira, despite the former ending the season impressively for Arsenal. Dani Ceballos would have been in with a shout had he re-joined the Gunners on loan, but as it stands, the Spain international will remain at Real Madrid for the 2020-21 campaign.
The need to include Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang means that Liverpool's front three - Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino - will operate as the three behind Arsenal's captain in this particular XI. Salah ended the 2019-20 campaign with 23 goals and 13 assists in 48 appearances in all competitions, while Mane contributed 22 goals and 12 assists in 47 outings during another excellent campaign.
Firmino's statistics from last season - 12 goals and 13 assists in 52 appearances - are not exactly sensational for a centre-forward, but the Brazil international was once again a key contributor for the Merseyside giants, and he would be the link player in this side, operating in the hole just behind Aubameyang, who deserves a spot in the side.
The Gabon international enjoyed an excellent 2019-20 at club level, scoring 29 times in 44 appearances in all competitions, including 22 goals in the Premier League. The 31-year-old is seemingly on the verge of signing a new contract at the Emirates Stadium, which is huge news for Arsenal ahead of the new season.
Matt Law
