Liverpool vs Manchester City | The Community Shield combined XI .

The one consequence of winning the first men’s domestic treble for Manchester City will be the fact that they’ll have to play Liverpool in the Community Shield. The first game of the season, the appetizer to what is shaping up to be a dramatic and entertaining Premier League season, the Community Shield is the first trophy available for both sides.

Manchester City, on the other hand, could be without Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, and Nicolas Otamendi who only returned this week. The trio could start but that’s all down to Pep Guardiola and whether or not he decides to risk them. Nevertheless, there will still be a catalogue of fantastic players on show for the Premier League’s curtain-raiser but what would it be if the two teams were combined?

The first of many Liverpool names on this list, Alisson had a fantastic debut season with Liverpool and alongside Virgil Van Dijk, was amongst their best players. He finished the season with a rather impressive 21 clean sheets in the Premier League alone. That doesn’t include a sensational Copa America performance, where he’s ahead of Ederson in the pecking order at Brazil.

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City), Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Finishing a season with 12 and 11 assists and 21 clean sheets in the league is a phenomenal achievement by any player, let alone a full-back. But that’s exactly what both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson did. While Alexander-Arnold broke the record set by Leighton Baines and Andy Hinchcliffe, Robertson added his name alongside the former record holders.

It should be Aymeric Laporte after the season he had, but the Frenchman is injured and could potentially miss the Community Shield. That combined with Otamendi’s intentions to stay at the club despite interest from Atletico Madrid and his impressive displays when picked, does see him outdo John Stones for a place here.

Midfielders: Fernandinho, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

33-year-old and still at his very best, Fernandinho is flanked by David Silva in what will be his last season at Manchester City and Kevin De Bruyne. The Brazilian may have been replaced by Rodri but the Spaniard still needs time to adjust. So for now, Fernandinho should keep his place in the starting eleven, alongside a world-class creative pair in Silva and De Bruyne.

Arguably the two best creative midfielders in England right now, few players created as many chances as David Silva. Kevin De Bruyne, on the other hand, may have struggled with injuries but he still created 36 chances, 11 of those big chances for his team-mates. No one else in the Premier League even came close to that tally.

51 goals and 30 assists in the Premier League alone. That’s what this trio managed, and that doesn’t even include Sergio Aguero and Sadio Mane. It’s a sensational total, one that any club would be proud to have but that shows just how hard the competition has become. The sheer fact that the Golden Boot was shared by three players further proves that.

But with Mane still on holiday and Aguero’s presence in Manchester City’s team not confirmed, it makes picking this front-line that much easier. Roberto Firmino automatically finds a place in the combined 11, flanked by Raheem Sterling and Mohamed Salah on either side.