Arsenal and Manchester City begin new season with Community Shield showdown

Arsenal and Manchester City will move into competitive action just over a fortnight after playing their first pre-season friendlies when they meet in the Community Shield at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Sunday.

The match, which pits the reigning English champions against the previous FA Cup winners, will begin at 14:00 GMT on 16 August 2026. Nasser Eddy, a consultant for NCI Sport and presenter of the European Champions League on radio Nostalgie, has backed Manchester City to win at odds of 2.76, while a City first goal is priced at 2.01.

Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the English title last season and reached the Champions League final, 20 years after their previous appearance in the competition’s showpiece in 2006. The Gunners have re-established themselves among the leading clubs in England and Europe and appear well placed to remain there.

Mikel Arteta remains in charge, while Arsenal have retained much of their squad and strengthened it with the signings of Christophe Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes so far. The club have also gained increasing experience at the highest level. Although their attempt to sign Vinicius Junior failed, Leandro Trossard has moved to Besiktas and William Saliba is set to miss a period through injury. Further additions, including Ezri Konsa and Jules Kounde, are expected before the transfer window closes.

Arsenal’s preparations, however, have been inconsistent. They began with a 4-1 victory over Girona on 1 August, but then lost 3-1 to Real Betis and 3-2 to Borussia Dortmund in last Sunday’s Emirates Cup final. They drew 1-1 with Como on Wednesday evening.

The London club have scored in each of their past 13 matches, but have also conceded in their last six. That defensive vulnerability is unusual for a side whose resilience was one of its defining features last season. Arsenal have fallen behind early twice during pre-season, conceding inside the opening 15 minutes, and will need to be especially alert against forwards such as Erling Haaland.

New era for Manchester City

Manchester City missed out on the league title and European glory last season but did win the FA Cup. They now begin a different chapter, with Enzo Maresca replacing Pep Guardiola after the latter’s 10 years as head coach, during which he won every major honour.

There has been less change within the squad, although City have made a significant move for England midfielder Elliot Anderson, signing him from Nottingham Forest for €135m. Anderson is expected to help fill the gap left by Bernardo Silva’s free transfer to Real Madrid, while Rodri is strongly expected to join Barcelona and did not return to training with the Sky Blues this week.

Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi, Rayan Cherki and Anderson, all recent World Cup semi-finalists, returned on Wednesday. Haaland also came back and the group should be available for Sunday’s fixture.

City remained unbeaten in their three pre-season games without those players. They drew 1-1 with Inter Milan and recorded 3-1 wins over a Korean league All-Star side and Atletico de Madrid. They scored first inside the opening 15 minutes in two of those matches, and the return of their main striker is expected to improve their attacking threat further.

The fixture has become one of the biggest in English football as Arsenal and City have challenged repeatedly for the title. City won both meetings in February and April 2023, prevailing 3-1 and 4-1, results which effectively secured the championship for the Manchester club and damaged Arsenal’s hopes.

Manchester City also won 2-1 on 19 April last season, a result which increased the pressure on Arsenal. The Gunners nevertheless held firm afterwards to win their first English title since 2004.

Since 2010, City have won 23 of the clubs’ meetings, compared with 11 Arsenal victories and 11 draws. They are also unbeaten in their past three games against Arsenal.

Antoine Semenyo enters the new season in strong form following an impressive second half of his previous campaign at Manchester City and a good individual World Cup with Ghana. He provided four assists in City’s three matches since 1 August and has moved ahead of players such as Savinho in the competition for a place on the right side of Maresca’s attack.

The match is expected to be close, but Manchester City are given a narrow edge at 2.76. Both teams are priced at 1.68 to score, while City to score first inside the opening 15 minutes is available at 4.8.

Arsenal FC v Manchester City FC takes place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, at 14:00 GMT on Sunday, 16 August 2026.

Odds may change.