Community Shield: Arsenal, Man City Clash as Maresca Takes Charge for First Competitive Game

Arsenal will face Manchester City in the 2026 Community Shield on Sunday as both sides launch their 2026/27 campaigns at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

The encounter, which kicks off at 3pm UK time, will see Premier League champions Arsenal take on a Manchester City team beginning life after Pep Guardiola.

While Mikel Arteta is seeking another piece of silverware to open Arsenal’s season, City boss Enzo Maresca will experience his first competitive fixture in charge and will hope to make an immediate impact.

Maresca knows City well, having previously served as the club’s under-21 manager under Guardiola. He now takes charge of a squad that has seen considerable movement during the summer.

Bernardo Silva has departed for Real Madrid, with John Stones and Manuel Akanji also leaving. Nathan Ake has moved to Fenerbahce, Tijjani Reijnders is set to join Al Qadsiah, while goalkeeper James Trafford has signed for Leeds United.

The club’s headline signing has been Elliott Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a reported British-record £116 million. City have also added Geronimo Rulli as a backup goalkeeper and recruited a number of young prospects.

Maresca’s side went through an encouraging pre-season, drawing 1-1 with Inter Milan in Hong Kong before defeating the K League All Stars and Atletico Madrid in South Korea.

Arteta is equally confident in Arsenal’s preparations and wants his players to immediately compete for honours.

“I love the way the players have come back, most of them earlier than expected, really fit with all the testing, and they all seem in great condition,” Arteta said.

“The best version of us has to be on Sunday, and that’s the intention: that we have the best performance and the best way to start the season, by lifting the first trophy.”

Maresca has made it clear that he does not regard the Community Shield as a friendly and expects his team to compete seriously for the trophy.

“For me personally, it is a trophy. When trophies and a final are there, you always try to win the game, so no friendly game at all,” he said.

The City manager also acknowledged Arsenal’s consistency under Arteta while insisting his team is ready to challenge again.

“Arsenal have shown in the last five years that they have always been there. It’s a fantastic team, well managed by Mikel. Last year they won the Premier League; they showed how good they are at this moment, but at the same time, we are City and we are going to try to close the gap and try to compete again.”

Arsenal will be without Saliba and Timber. Saliba is still recovering from a back issue, while Timber continues his recovery from the groin injury that prevented him from featuring at the World Cup.

Rice, Saka and Zubimendi have not played during pre-season but have resumed training and remain possible options for Arteta.

City, meanwhile, could be missing several players who progressed deep into the World Cup, including Haaland, Guehi, Nico O’Reilly, Cherki, Doku and Anderson.

Rodri is unavailable following minor back surgery, while Ryan McAidoo is recovering from a shoulder injury. Grealish has returned to training after spending last season on loan at Everton.

Arsenal’s record in the Community Shield gives them confidence ahead of the clash. The Gunners have won the competition 17 times, including shared triumphs, and have won their last five appearances.

They also boast a perfect record against City in previous Community Shield meetings, winning 4-0 in 1934, 3-0 in 2014 and on penalties following a 1-1 draw in 2023.

Arteta has won all four of his previous Community Shield appearances, two as a player and two as Arsenal manager.

Should the match remain level after 90 minutes, there will be no extra time and the winner will be determined by penalties.

Sam Barrott has been appointed referee, with Craig Taylor and Blake Antrobus as assistants. Farai Hallam will serve as fourth official, while James Bell will handle VAR.

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