Premier League defending champions Manchester City will face league runner-ups Arsenal at Wembley this Sunday in the Community Shield.
The Cityzens booked their place at Wembley after winning the 2022/23 FA Cup and Premier League title by 89 points. Mikel Arteta’s side qualified by finishing in second position, five points behind Pep Guardiola’s side.
Pre-match Stats
- Manchester have lost just one of their last 26 competitive games (W20, D5).
- This will be Man City’s 16th appearance at Wembley in cup competition under Pep Guardiola’s stewardship (W10, L5).
- The Cityzens have lost their last two Community Shield appearances while they have a negative win-loss return historically (W6, L8).
- Arsenal have won each of their last four Community Shield games.
- The Gunners have lost their last eight head-to-head games against City.
- Mikel Arteta has lost nine of his ten meetings with Guardiola, which is his lowest win rate against any other manager with at least two H2Hs.
Match Preview
Less than two months after a Rodri goal secured their first UEFA Champions League title and a historic treble, Manchester City will be hunting for their seventh Community Shield crown when they face off with Arsenal at Wembley.
Pep Guardiola’s side have played in the traditional curtain-raiser on 14 occasions, lifting the Shield six times. But they have struggled in recent seasons, losing their last two Community Shield appearances.
But for a club that recorded one loss from their last competitive 26 games (W20, D5), including two in the FA Cup and Champions League finals, Guardiola’s side is the favourites to win here.
Despite losing influential dressing room figures Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez this summer, the Cityzens remain a strong opposition. They have also proved their strength in pre-season, beating Bayern Munich and Yokohama F. Marinos before a narrow 2-1 loss to Atletico Madrid in their last outing.
Having won their last eight games against Arsenal and with Guardiola having the better of his former assistant in each of their last nine meetings, it feels like this will be another day of City celebrating at the expense of Arsenal.
London calling! ☎️ pic.twitter.com/pVEYUxGndx
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 3, 2023
The Gunners have fallen to City’s sword recently, with last season’s title loss to the Etihad side the most painful of the lot.
Arteta’s side spent 248 days at the summit of the Premier League table, only to lose out on the title due to a poor run of form towards the end of the season–three losses and three draws in their last nine games–and City’s relentless run.
But they can exact revenge in Wembley, where they have enjoyed recent success. The Gunners are unbeaten on their last three trips to Wembley (W2, D1). They have also won each of their last four matches in this competition, including a 3-0 win over City in 2014. Their most recent appearance was in 2020, when they saw off Liverpool on penalties, with only two of their last ten Community Sheild games ending in defeat.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s pre-season form has been strong, with wins against Barcelona, MLS All Stars and Monaco, preparing them for the season ahead.
Another win here would be their 17th Community Shield success and move them into second-place all time, only behind Manchester United (21).
Team News
Pep Guardiola will be without Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez, who left the club this summer for Barcelona and Al-Ahli, respectively. But summer signing Mateo Kovacic is expected to be in the matchday squad, while this game is expected to be too soon for Josko Gvardiol, who will join from RB Leipzig this week.
Meanwhile, City captain Kevin de Bruyne is still missing from action after his injury in the Champions League final.
Mikel Arteta on the squad size: “We are in the process of working on a few things & make a few decisions, there’s still time to do that. We are very happy with the squad. We are working on that. [I want] optimum people & optimum players as well!” #afc pic.twitter.com/jMXzCxlZLw
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) August 4, 2023
Arsenal have bought Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz from Chelsea, with the trio expected to be in the squad at Wembley.
Striker Gabriel Jesus will be absent after being ruled out due to a knock on his knee. In his absence, Eddie Nketiah or Leandro Trossard will lead the line.
Predicted lineups
Predicted Man City Lineup: Ederson, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, John Stones, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup: Aaron Ramsdale, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Declan Rice, Kai Harvetz, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Bukayo Saka.
