Arsenal v Manchester City
Sunday 10 August – Wembley Stadium – 16:00 (90 minutes)
Premier League heavyweights Arsenal and Manchester City go head to head in a mouth-watering clash to contest the Community Shield on Sunday afternoon. They meet for the second time in this traditional Premier League curtain raiser, with the Gunners winning the previous meeting 4-0 way back in 1934.
Arsenal thumped Benfica 5-1 in their Emirates Cup opener last weekend thanks to a superb four-goal haul by Yaya Sanogo. But in their second match against Ligue 1 runners-up Monaco, Gunners’ fans were left feeling somewhat deflated after Radamel Falcao headed the game’s only goal to give the French side victory. And while it is – as always – unwise to read too much into pre-season results, the performance was enough to show that there is still a lot for Arsene Wenger’s side to be moving on with – and looking to improve on. Their Community Shield clash against Manchester City will offer plenty more clues as to what we should expect from the north London side in the coming season. Calum Chambers, who was signed from Soyjampton, has already shown in his first game for Arsenal that he is money well spent. Playing as a centre-half – a role he has filled for England at junior level – Chambers was calm in possession, commanding when a challenge needed to be made and generally looked comfortable pairing with Laurent Koscielny. With Per Mertesacker only returning from his extended holiday this week due to his country’s World Cup triumph, Wenger may opt to start with Chambers yet again. Alexis Sanchez was handed his first start since his £30million arrival from Barcelona last weekend which saw the Chilean forward start from the right, looking to support Olivier Giroud. The 25-year-old showed glimpses of quality, his quick feet and speed extrapolating himself from tight areas on a number of occasions, while he also showed willingness to help Mathieu Debuchy. Wenger is expected to make a few changes to the side that lost to Monaco. Kieran Gibbs will step in for Nacho Monreal who did well, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may get the start after coming off the bench and looking impressive. Germans Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski, and Mertesacker have returned to the squad but it remains to be seen whether they will play any part against the Citizens.
Manchester City lost 5-4 on penalties to Olympiacos after a 2-2 draw which saw them exit the International Champions Cup last week. Manuel Pellegrini’s side now return home for the FA Community Shield and will be looking to add to their collection of silverware. There were question marks over Yaya Toure’s state of mind after his traumatic summer, but going off the small amount of time he’s played on tour, fans have nothing to fear. He has trained well, looks fit and produced a few of his trademark driving runs. If he can settle back into the rhythm that brought him a stunning 20 goals from midfield in the Premier League last season, the Sky Blues have a great chance of silverware come the end of the season. City’s midfield is incredibly competitive, they easily have enough players to fill two teams: Toure, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Fernando, Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Javi Garcia, Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclair and now former Chelsea legend Frank Lampard who signed a six-month loan move. Pellegrini made it clear that Lampard isn’t just coming to Carrington to stay sharp but to fight for a place and City fans may get their first sight of him in a Manchester City shirt this weekend. In Stevan Jovetic’s maiden season at Manchester City, he was plagued with injury and couldn’t take off. Now though, he has shined in the Sky Blue jersey and against AC Milan and Liverpool in the International Champions Cup, he has looked prolific; having harassed the helpless defenders with flurries of passes like bullets and flying under the radar behind enemy lines into good positions to score. He should get the nod upfront given his impressive form and could trouble Arsenal’s defence.
This match could go either way as both sides will be looking to add to their trophy cabinet. Manchester City have had the slight advantage against the Gunners in recent times and will be hoping to add to their record. The Sky Blues are tipped for the win at 11/10 but both teams to score at 6/10 looks a sure bet.
