Liverpool ‘handed bad omen’ as Community Shield set for major change
Liverpool are set to face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield, but they have now been handed a bad omen.
The Reds qualified for the pre-season curtain raiser by winning the Premier League, and Palace’s FA Cup victory earned them a place at Wembley.
Liverpool gave Palace a guard of honour at Anfield following their famous victory over Manchester City, but will be eager to avoid a similar result.
An announcement has now been made regarding the fixture, which will annoy Liverpool supporters for two key reasons.
Community Shield moved off free-to-view TV
The Community Shield was free-to-air in the UK for the last four years, and was televised on ITV, drawing in viewers across the country.
However, the Daily Mail have now reported that TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) have now taken the exclusive rights for the game, meaning that it will be shown on their subscription-based channel and online streaming services.
- Liverpool will face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on Sunday, August 10, with a kick-off time of 3 pm.
- Liverpool are also trying to sign Marc Guehi from Palace, who could feature for Oliver Glasner’s side.
Liverpool fans who are not in attendance at Wembley, who do not own TNT Sports, will be frustrated at this decision as it will become more difficult to watch, but Arne Slot himself may now be wary for one bizarre reason.
Liverpool have woeful TNT Sports record in Community Shield
Liverpool have a mixed record in the Community Shield, but this has changed depending on the channel broadcasting it to the country.
In their last six Community Shield appearances, Liverpool have recorded three wins and three defeats, and there appears to be a TNT Sports curse.
| Opposition | Result | TV Channel |
| Man United, August 12, 2001 | 2-1 Win | ITV |
| Arsenal, August 11, 2002 | 1-0 Loss | ITV |
| Chelsea, August 3, 2006 | 2-1 Win | ITV |
| Manchester City, August 4, 2019 | 1-1 Draw (5-4 loss on penalties) | BT/TNT |
| Arsenal, August 29, 2020 | 1-1 Draw (5-4 loss on penalties) | BT/TNT |
| Man City, July 30, 2022 | 3-1 Win | ITV |
All three of Liverpool’s wins came on ITV, with victories over Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City, with two of their three TNT games ending in defeat.
Their last Community Shield appearance saw them beat Man City on ITV with Darwin Nunez scoring on his debut, but with TNT broadcasting the upcoming game, there are bad memories.
Penalty shootout defeats to Arsenal and Man City meant Liverpool left Wembley empty-handed in their last two TNT games, and they will now hope to break this trend before the Premier League season starts.
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