The traditional curtain-raiser of English top-flight football returns on Sunday, 6 August 2023 – as Manchester City prepare to face Arsenal at the iconic Wembley Stadium. With last year’s edition of the match held at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium due to a clash with the Women’s European Championship Final, it’s a welcome sight to see this colossal clash return to the national stadium.
Of course, this fixture normally sees the winners of the Premier League pitted against the winners of the FA Cup – but given that Manchester City won both of those competitions, their FA Cup winners berth has been awarded to Arsenal, who finished as runners-up in the Premier League.
Arsenal held pole position in the title race for the majority of last season, ultimately falling short after crumbling towards the end of the campaign. Mikel Arteta’s side have recruited well this summer though, with the likes of Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber all completing moves to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners commenced their preseason campaign with a 1-1 draw against FC Nürnberg, before going on to thrash the MLS All-Stars in a five-goal thriller a week later. Defeat against Manchester United looked set to dampen Arsenal’s spirits, but they bounced back phenomenally to claim a comfortable 5-3 win over Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium. Earlier this week, Mikel Arteta’s side lifted the Emirates Cup following a penalty shootout against AS Monaco, having been held to a 1-1 draw in open play.
Pep Guardiola is renowned for not only developing on-pitch talent, but nurturing the careers of some of the best upcoming managers. Mikel Arteta is one of those, having spent time under his fellow Spaniard while working as his assistant manager at Manchester City. This is yet another chapter of their enthralling story, as the apprentice looks to defeat his ever-successful master.
That’s no mean feat though, and Pep Guardiola truly is one of the most decorated figures in the history of the sport. His Manchester City side have appeared relatively unshaken at the top in recent years, and finally lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in Istanbul in June – meaning the Citizens had finally laid hands on the trophy that had evaded them for so long.
Manchester City had lifted the FA Cup trophy the week before that historic victory at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, stunning their cross-city rivals at Wembley once more. Yet it was that Rodri strike in Türkiye that truly sealed this Manchester City side as one of the greatest ever seen in English football – as they have now lifted the treble: for years, United fans had found great pleasure in taunting them for their failure to achieve that very feat.
Like Arsenal, City too have spent big this summer. Mateo Kovacic has arrived from Chelsea, while Guardiola’s side have also completed the signing of RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol in recent days. Whether the defender will be involved on Sunday remains to be seen.
Not only will Manchester City be keen to kickstart their 2023/24 campaign with a win over a team that is likely to be their closest contenders for the title, but their defeat in the 2022 Community Shield will undoubtedly be playing on their mind. The Citizens were defeated 3-1 by Liverpool at the King Power Stadium. Of course, this isn’t the only standalone cup fixture that Pep Guardiola’s side will be involved in this month – they’ll jet off to Athens in a few weeks’ time to contest the UEFA Super Cup.
Preseason has seen Manchester City play just three official friendlies. The Citizens cruised to victory against Yokohama F Marinos, just days before recording another win against Guardiola’s former employers – Bayern Munich. Most recently though, City were defeated by Atletico Madrid.
Team news
Notably, Gabriel Jesus will miss out on the opportunity to face his former club, as complications from a knee injury have seen Arsenal’s Brazilian forward require a minor operation. He’ll be sidelined for a few weeks.
Mohamed Elneny, Reiss Nelson, Folarin Balogun and Sambi Lokonga are also ruled out for this clash, which means Eddie Nketiah will likely lead the line for the Gunners. Bukayo Saka will start on the right flank, if he has recovered from the illness that kept him out of action against AS Monaco.
We’re unlikely to see Josko Gvardiol make his Manchester City debut on Sunday, and it’s looking like Kevin De Bruyne will also be kept out as he continues to recover from a hamstring tear. Barring those two players, Pep Guardiola has a fully available squad to choose from.
Predicted lineups
Arsenal: Ramsdale; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Rice, Partey; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, Kovacic, Foden, Grealish; Haaland
Where can I watch?
Fancy tuning in to watch the 2023 Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City? The match will be broadcast live within the UK on ITV1 and ITVx, with coverage starting at 15:15. Kickoff at Wembley Stadium is at 16:00 on Sunday, 6 August 2023. Can’t watch the match? Fear not! We’ll have a detailed match report published moments after the final whistle.
