Premier League holders Arsenal and FA Cup champions Manchester City will renew hostilities ahead of the 2026/27 football season when they square off in the 2026 Community Shield at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on Sunday, SportsMole reports.

The curtain-raiser is a repeat of the 2023 English Super Cup, in which Mikel Arteta got one over Pep Guardiola on penalties.

Arsenal – Man City: Pre-Season Performance

After a behind-closed-doors success over MK Dons, Arteta’s men won just one of their four official summer friendlies and failed to triumph in any of their closing three, although Borussia Dortmund and Como were both bettered on spot kicks after denying Arsenal victory at the Emirates Stadium.

Earning their ticket to Cardiff by virtue of defeating Chelsea in the 2026 FA Cup final, ex-Blues boss Enzo Maresca prepares for his first competitive Citizens match after overseeing an unbeaten pre-season period; 12-yard defeats excluded.

A 1-1 draw with Inter Milan – and subsequent penalty loss – preceded back-to-back 3-1 wins over a K-League XI and Atletico Madrid, the latter of which saw Omar Marmoush bag a brace in the absence of his superior Erling Haaland.

Arsenal’s FA Community Shield Dominance Over Man City

City have emerged winners of the Community Shield seven times but it might come as a surprise that Arsenal have never been at the receiving end against the Cityzens in the history of the tie.

In fact, Arsenal have had the upper hand against City in the three previous meetings in the Community Shield.

The first-ever encounter between Arsenal and City in the Community Shield was in 1934 with the Gunners recording a dominant 4-0 win.

Both English heavyweights had to wait until 2014 before crossing paths again in the curtain raiser with Arsenal securing a 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud.

Also Read: Community Shield: Arteta Provides Fitness Update On Saka, Rice, Timber, Saliba Ahead Man City Clash

The last time they both clashed was in 2023 and once again Arsenal triumphed, this time a 4-1 penalty shootout win after 90 minutes of football ended 1-1.

Team News

Defensive absentees have hit Arsenal hard in pre-season, and Arteta will be missing Jurrien Timber (groin) and William Saliba (back) for a while longer; the former a matter of weeks and the latter a matter of months.

However, every other member of the Premier League champions’ squad is back available, including the English and Spanish World Cup crop, although Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Zubimendi should not start having not played a single minute of pre-season.

On the other hand, £75m arrival Bruno Guimaraes is good to go for his full debut after coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Como, while David Raya – who stopped two penalties in midweek – is sure to displace Kepa Arrizabalaga as the last line of defence.

Meanwhile, Man City have welcomed Haaland back to their training base in recent days, but as is the case with Rice, Saka and co, the 26-year-old should begin on the bench owing to a total lack of pre-season action.

Maresca could be forced into two alterations from the starting XI that faced Atletico too, as Tottenham Hotspur-linked Savinho missed training earlier this week due to illness, while Tijjani Reijnders is on the cusp of a £52m Saudi Pro League move.

Rodri – not quite Barcelona-bound just yet – is also absent on account of his back operation, so Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic are primed to form the double pivot; new signing Elliot Anderson is yet to make his debut and will surely be on the bench at best.

 

By James Agberebi