FA Community Shield preview: Arsenal meets Manchester City in EPL curtain-raiser

The Premier League season is nearly upon us as reigning champions Arsenal will host Coventry City next Friday in the opening match. 

But that’s the main course. The appetizer comes in the form of Sunday's annual FA Community Shield, the ceremonial curtain raiser on the English soccer campaign.  

Here’s what you need to know about this year’s showdown between Arsenal and Manchester City from the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales (Sportsnet One, Sportsnet+, 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT):

What is the FA Community Shield?  

The FA Community Shield is an annual match contested between the defending Premier League champions (Arsenal) and the reigning FA Cup holders (Manchester City).  

Arsenal won the 2025-26 Premier League title with a seven-point advantage over second-place Manchester City, which defeated Chelsea in the FA Cup final in May.   

Manchester City took four out of a possible six points from Arsenal in the Premier League last season, thanks to a 1-1 road draw and a 2-1 home win. 

The format  

Sunday’s match is a straight knockout final, with no replays, unlike in the FA Cup.   

If the score is tied after 90 minutes of regulation, the game will go straight to penalty kicks to determine the winner. No extra time will be played.    

First game for new Man City manager Enzo Maresca 

Trying to replace Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager is a Herculean task, given that the Spaniard won all there was to win during his decade in charge of the Blues. But that’s the challenge facing Enzo Maresca, who’ll take charge of Manchester City for the first time in a competitive match on Sunday following Guardiola’s resignation earlier this year. 

Maresca boasts a decent resume, having won the Championship with Leicester City and a UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea. But this represents a big step in the Italian’s career as he’s taking over one of the biggest clubs in the world.  

"When (Guardiola) started in Spain, everyone wanted to play like Barcelona. He moved to Germany (and) everyone wanted to play like Bayern (Munich). He came to England and everyone wanted to play like City. Someone asked me if it's an impossible job to follow him. Maybe, but at the same time it's a privilege," Maresca said. 

Bruno Guimarães could make Arsenal debut 

Bruno Guimarães joined Arsenal via transfer last week for a reported £75 million (US$87 million) from Newcastle United after scoring 31 goals and tallying 31 assists in all competitions for the Magpies across five seasons. The Brazilian midfielder featured for Arsenal in a friendly against Italian side Como on Wednesday, but will he be in the lineup for the Gunners in Sunday’s Community Shield? 

"We’ll have to see. He’s only had three training sessions, but he looked good,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. "He was really pushing to play some minutes (on Wednesday), get his debut and get the feeling of playing in front of our supporters immediately. He’s a player that will make us better, without a doubt." 

Guimarães should offer Arsenal’s midfield a big boost in central midfield for the upcoming Premier League season, but his participation in Sunday’s game remains in doubt — he had a short pre-season due to playing for Brazil at the World Cup as well as transfer negotiations between Arsenal and Newcastle. 

Man City missing influential midfielder Rodri 

Manchester City will be without Rodri for Sunday’s game after the Spanish midfielder underwent minor back surgery this summer. Rodri played a starring role in Spain's World Cup triumph this summer as team captain, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's MVP.  

Rodri has been similarly influential for Manchester City, helping the Blues win 13 trophies during his seven seasons with the Premier League club. Two years ago, the Spaniard won the Ballon d'Or. But Rodri could be on the way out at Manchester City as he’s being linked with a transfer move to FC Barcelona, something that Maresca hasn’t been too keen to address. 

"First of all, we already said the transfer window is open, we can buy and sell players, anything can happen," Maresca told reporters on Friday. "I just saw Rodri now in the building, I gave him a big hug. He looks good, so we’ll see what happens." 

Christos Tzolis player to watch for Arsenal

Aside from Guimarães, another notable newcomer for Arsenal is winger/forward Christos Tzolis, who signed with the Gunners last month following a reported £34 million (US$40 million) transfer move from Belgium’s Club Brugge. 

The Greek international is coming off sensational season in which he scored 17 goals and tallied 23 assists in the Belgian league. Tzolis has started all four of Arsenal's pre-season games so far and has made an impact in each of his appearances. 

Tzolis combines pace, a direct style of play and a keen eye for goal — all of which should be on display in Sunday’s game in Cardiff. 

Stats to know

• The FA Cup winners have beaten the Premier League champions in eight of the past 10 Community Shields.  

• Arsenal will play in its 24th Community Shield on Sunday, having won 17 times. The Gunners’ last win was in 2023 when it beat the Blues in a penalty shootout.  

• Manchester City has competed in 16 Community Shields, hoisting the trophy on seven occasions. Its previous win came in 2024 when it defeated Manchester United on penalties. 

• While Manchester City has finished as runners-up on nine occasions overall, Arsenal has won each of its last five Community Shield matches.  

• Arsenal has won all three of its Community Shield matches against Manchester City (1934, 2014, 2023). 

• Arteta has won the Community Shield twice as a player (2014, 2015) and as a manager (2020, 2023). 

What they're saying 

“It’s a trophy that we can have because we managed last year to win the Premier League, and you can tell how hungry the players are, which is a good sign.” – Arteta.  

“Last year they won the Premier League; they showed how good they are in 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.” – Maresca.