Taking place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff rather than at Wembley this year, the North Londoners will have fond memories of playing there whilst the new Wembley was being rebuilt.
Arsenal have fond memories of the Principality Stadium
Arsenal played more games at the venue than any other team between 2001 and 2007 (10), and won four Community Shields in the process.
City, by contrast, have only ever played there on one occasion, a UEFA Cup qualifier against TNS in August 2003, which resulted in a 2-0 win.
Both clubs will want to walk away with the silverware, even if it’s seen as being the least worthy title to win.
Mikel Arteta’s side might fancy their chances against a City squad that’s undergone something of an overhaul since Pep Guardiola left at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
Gunners have the edge
Not only have the Gunners won the last five Community Shield games that they’ve taken part in, but they were also successful in each one when they were reigning Premier League champions (1998, 2002 and 2004).
Furthermore, they’ve beaten the Cityzens each time they’ve played them in this match, winning 4-0 in 1934, 3-0 in 2014 and 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 2023.
With 17 victories in this particular match, Arsenal are only surpassed by Manchester United’s 21 wins, whilst City have lost this game on nine previous occasions, though they did win their last one over rivals United in 2024.
Mikel Arteta has won all four of the Community Shield games he’s taken part in – 2014 and 2015 as a player, 2020 and 2023 as a manager, with Enzo Maresca never having played or managed in one until now.
Maresca could create history
He could create a unique slice of history by winning on Sunday, as he’s already become the first City boss to compete in the Community Shield in his first competitive match in charge.
There are a couple of notes of caution for Arsenal as they prepare to do battle, too, the first of which is that the FA Cup holders and not the league champions have won this match in eight out of the last 10 years.
In recent head-to-heads it’s City that hold the edge, having lost just once, drawn two and won the other three games between the clubs.
With clean sheets in seven of their last nine competitive matches, Maresca’s side could be difficult to break down and, as a result, it wouldn’t really be a surprise to see the match go to a penalty shoot-out, something which has occurred in five of the last seven Community Shield games.
All change at City
As for which players will be available to contest the 90 minutes, City are almost certain to be without Rodri, given that he would appear to be on the move to Barcelona.
The Catalans certainly wouldn’t take kindly to the Spanish captain being injured, with negotiations believed to be at such a crucial stage.
No Bernardo Silva or John Stones will mean that City’s starting XI will look a little different to the one which ended last season.
That’s not to suggest that the club don’t have enough quality to get the job done, far from it. Indeed, their pre-season to date has arguably been better than Arsenal’s, with Maresca still unbeaten as City manager.
Both clubs have a responsibility
City could have their work cut out against a team that has already strengthened with the signings of Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, with more arrivals expected before the closure of the summer transfer window.
Whether or not the players do consider the Community Shield to be a ‘serious’ piece of silverware or not, both managers will remind their staff of the responsibilities they have to themselves, their club and their supporters, who will have travelled for hours to be at the game.
Further, the hard work, or lack of it, from any of those on the pitch could force Arteta or Maresca into a last-minute rethink ahead of their first Premier League games of the new season against Coventry and Bournemouth respectively.
Game on…
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