The English football season begins with a familiar contest on Sunday as Arsenal take on Manchester City in the FA Community Shield, just a week before the Premier League gets underwayThe match at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium will give both teams their first chance to win silverware in the new campaign.
There is plenty of history between these two sides in recent yearsArsenal and City have been involved in some of the biggest Premier League battles with the two teams regularly fighting for the title for the past four seasons or so.
That rivalry reached another level last season when Arsenal finally finished ahead of City and ended their 22-year wait for the Premier League trophyCity finished second but still ended the campaign with the FA Cup and League Cup.
For Arsenal, the Community Shield is a chance to start their title defence with a trophyMikel Arteta’s side will also be looking to continue the progress made over the last few seasonsArsenal have strengthened their squad again, including the signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, and will hope to begin the new season on a positive note.
Manchester City, meanwhile, enter a new eraFor the first time in 10 years, Pep Guardiola will not be in the dugoutGuardiola left the club after a hugely successful decade that brought 20 trophies, including multiple Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Enzo Maresca has now taken over as City’s new managerThe former Chelsea boss already knows the club well, having previously worked as one of Guardiola’s assistantsHis first competitive match will therefore come against one of City’s biggest rivals, making the Community Shield an early test of his new team.
The two sides have also met in the Community Shield in recent yearsTheir previous clash came in 2023, when Arsenal produced a dramatic comeback to win the trophyCity looked set to lift the Shield after Cole Palmer gave them the lead, but Leandro Trossard equalised deep into stoppage timeArsenal then won the penalty shootout 4-1.
That game showed how close the two teams had become and added another chapter to their growing rivalry.
This time, however, the focus will be slightly differentArsenal are starting as Premier League champions, while City are beginning life under Maresca after Guardiola’s departureWith the Premier League starting only a week later, both managers will want a strong performance and a first trophy of the season even if it has a very little significance.
