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A week before the Premier League kicks off properly, Arsenal and Man City meet in the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The traditional league curtain-raiser sees Arsenal enter as the Premier League Champions for the first time in over 20 years. Mikel Arteta will be hoping his men can start the season with some early momentum by beating the side who pushed them furthest last season.
City come into this game under new management. Enzo Maresca is the new man at the helm at City, who could see many more changes to their team as we get closer to transfer deadline day. A win for Maresca would be huge and a real signal of what is to come from the blue side of Manchester.
Arsenal v Man City key info
• Date: Sunday, 16 August
• Kick-off time: 3pm BST
• Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
• Referee: Sam Barrott
• VAR: James Bell
• TV channels: TNT Sports (UK)
• Odds: ARS (8/5) - DRAW (23/10) - MCI (7/4)
Arsenal team news
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Zubimendi all returned to Arsenal training this week after their exploits at the World Cup. Arteta said that the trio could feature on Sunday after having a positive week back.
Jurrien Timber and William Saliba are both unavailable because of long-term injuries. New signing Bruno Guimaraes could start for the Gunners for the first time, along with Greek winger Christos Tzolis, who has looked promising in pre-season.
Arsenal predicted lineup v Man City (4-3-3)
Coach: Mikel Arteta
Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Lewis-Skelly, Guimaraes, Odegaard; Tzolis, Havertz, Madueke.
Man City team news
Erling Haaland is back in Man City training following an extended lay-off after an exhausting campaign with Norway at the World Cup. After not featuring at all over pre-season, the striker is likely to feature off the bench for his side.
With Rodri out after having surgery on his back, Tijjani Reijnders on his way out of the club and new boy Elliot Anderson only just starting training, Mateo Kovacic and Nico Gonzales will likely be the two in the middle for Maresca.
Man City predicted lineup v Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Enzo Maresca
Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Kovacic, Nico; Semenyo, Foden, Doku; Marmoush.
Where to watch on TV or live stream
This match between Arsenal and Manchester City in the Community Shield will be shown live on TNT Sports. To watch in the UK, you will need a subscription through HBO Max.
Head-to-head record
Arsenal and City have contested the Community Shield three times, with Arsenal having won all three, beating their opponents 4-0 in 1934, 3-0 in 2014 and 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 2023.
Only Manchester United's 21 wins trump Arsenal’s 17 in the Community Shield, with the Gunners winning each of their last five. Arsenal have also won all three matches when reigning Premier League champions (1998, 2002, 2004).
Man City won their last appearance in the Community Shield, beating Man Utd on penalties in 2024. They had lost their last three before that.
City are unbeaten in their last three matches against Arsenal (2W, 1D).
Odds for Arsenal v Man City
Arsenal are only just favourites at 8/5 compared to City’s 7/4 at bet365. A draw in 90 minutes is at 23/10.
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change.