The new English season gets underway at Wembley on Sunday as Premier League champions Arsenal take on FA Cup winners Manchester City in the Community Shield.
The fixture offers both sides an early opportunity to claim silverware and, more importantly, assess their preparations ahead of another demanding Premier League campaign.
Arsenal will be looking to build on their title-winning season, while City will hope to start the new campaign strongly after lifting the FA Cup last term.
Preview
Arsenal enter the Community Shield with plenty of optimism after another busy summer under Mikel Arteta. The Gunners have strengthened their squad and will be keen to demonstrate that they are ready to defend their Premier League crown.
The arrival of Bruno Guimaraes has added further quality and physicality to Arteta’s midfield, while Christos Tzolis provides another attacking option. Arsenal also have greater depth across the squad, something that could prove crucial over the course of the season.
Manchester City, meanwhile, will be determined to put last season’s disappointments behind them. With Maresca now in charge, City side remain one of the strongest teams in England.
The Community Shield could therefore provide an early indication of where the two sides stand.
🚨🏆 Enzo Maresca on Community Shield: “No friendly at all! It’s a trophy and when there’s a trophy, I want to win”. pic.twitter.com/3E33bNRPNd
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 14, 2026
Team News
Arsenal are expected to have several players who missed parts of pre-season available after returning from international duty. However, Arteta may still manage their minutes carefully with the Premier League campaign around the corner.
Bruno Guimaraes made his Arsenal debut in the final pre-season friendly against Como and should be in contention for another appearance. Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi are also expected to feature after returning to training.
Manchester City will likewise have decisions to make over players who have only recently returned to full training.
With the Premier League opener only days away, both managers are likely to prioritise fitness while still naming strong enough teams to compete for the trophy.
An @Arsenal legend ❤️
Mikel Arteta has won the FA #CommunityShield four times with the Gunners — twice as a player, twice as a manager 🏆
Will he make it five on Sunday? pic.twitter.com/MSLts7pRke
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) August 13, 2026
Predicted Lineups
Arsenal predicted XI:
David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori; Bruno Guimaraes, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Christos Tzolis; Viktor Gyokeres.
Manchester City predicted XI:
Gianluigi Donnarumma; Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov, Rayan Ait-Nouri; Rodri, Mateo Kovacic; Savinho, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland.
Prediction
Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City
