Arsenal and Manchester City will renew their Community Shield rivalry in Cardiff, where Enzo Maresca will lead City into his first final as manager after replacing Pep Guardiola and winning the 2026 FA Cup final against his former club, Chelsea.
Key takeaways
- The contest recreates the 2023 opener, when Arsenal defeated City on penalties.
- Maresca insists the Community Shield is a genuine trophy rather than a preseason friendly.
- Arsenal are pursuing an 18th Community Shield success, while City have lifted the trophy seven times.
- Jurrien Timber, William Saliba and Rodri are unavailable through injury, while several World Cup players are short of match fitness.
- A level score after 90 minutes will lead directly to penalties, with Arsenal tipped to prevail.
Cardiff reunion and Community Shield history
The meeting recalls the 2023 curtain-raiser, when Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal overcame Guardiola’s City in a shootout. Guardiola left the club at the conclusion of last season, leaving the team in the hands of former Chelsea head coach Maresca. The Italian arrives in Cardiff after defeating his previous employers in the 2026 FA Cup final and is seeking his first trophy in charge of City.
Maresca has dismissed the idea that Sunday’s fixture should be treated as an exhibition. He said the presence of a trophy and a final means his team will be fully committed to winning, adding that City will give everything in pursuit of their first piece of silverware under his leadership.
The Cardiff venue offers particularly positive memories for Arsenal. Fabio Vieira struck the winning penalty against City in the 2023 Community Shield, while Patrick Vieira secured the FA Cup for Arsenal against Manchester United at the same stadium 18 years earlier. That record from the spot has remained a major feature of Arsenal’s preseason, even though their performances over 90 minutes have rarely been dominant.
Following a private victory against MK Dons, Arsenal recorded only one win in four official summer friendlies and went without a victory in their final three matches. Borussia Dortmund and Como both held them at the Emirates, although Arsenal eventually won those games on penalties. Both of the club’s Community Shield victories during the current decade have also come through shootouts: Arteta’s team beat reigning champions Liverpool at an empty Wembley in 2020.
Arsenal are now aiming for an 18th Community Shield triumph, either outright or shared, which would extend their record. Only Manchester United have won the competition more often, with 21 successes. Arsenal can draw level with United’s 17 outright victories, although United’s overall figure consists of 17 sole wins and four shared titles. Arsenal have shared the trophy just once in 17 previous appearances. City have seven wins, including three during Guardiola’s tenure, and last collected the prize after defeating United on penalties in 2024. Only United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton have won the competition more times than City.
Maresca’s team have also gone unbeaten in preseason apart from shootout defeats. They drew 1-1 with Inter Milan before losing the ensuing penalties, then produced successive 3-1 victories against a K-League select side and Atletico Madrid. Omar Marmoush scored twice against Atletico as Erling Haaland continued to be absent.
City nevertheless won the most recent competitive meeting between the clubs. Haaland scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory at the Etihad in April. City have suffered only one defeat across their past six encounters with Arsenal, and a win on Sunday would give them three consecutive victories against Arteta’s side for the first time since 2023.
Team news and match prediction
Selection decisions for both managers have been influenced largely by the World Cup schedule rather than tactical concerns. Arsenal’s preparations have also been affected by injuries in defence. Timber is expected to miss several more weeks with a groin problem, while Saliba could be out for months because of a back injury.
Every other Arsenal player is available, including those who represented England and Spain at the World Cup. However, Rice, Saka and Martin Zubimendi are not expected to begin after failing to log any preseason minutes. Bruno Guimaraes is in contention for his first full appearance following his substitute role in the 1-1 draw with Como. Raya is also expected to retain the goalkeeping position ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga after saving two penalties in midweek.
Haaland has returned to training after missing City’s preseason preparations, but he is expected to begin among the substitutes, just as Rice and Saka are likely to do for Arsenal. Maresca may also alter the team that started against Atletico. Savinho was absent from training this week because of illness, while Reijnders is nearing a transfer away from the club.
Rodri remains out after undergoing back surgery. Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic are therefore expected to operate together in the centre of midfield, with new signing Elliot Anderson yet to make his City debut and likely to feature among the replacements.
If the score is level at the end of normal time, the Community Shield proceeds immediately to a penalty shootout. Arsenal have already won twice from 12 yards this summer, making another decisive shootout likely. The prediction is Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City, with Arsenal to win on penalties and claim a third successive shootout victory over City.
