Omar Marmoush on bench as Manchester City face Arsenal in Community Shield

Egypt international Omar Marmoush has been named among the substitutes for Manchester City’s Community Shield meeting with Arsenal at Wembley.

The match, which kicks off at 17:00, is the first fixture of the new season. City manager Enzo Maresca has opted not to start Marmoush, with the forward joined on the bench by Jack Grealish, who has returned from a loan spell, new signing Rayan Cherki and Marc Guehi.

New arrival Elliot Anderson has been selected in midfield, with Rodri absent from Manchester City’s squad for the fixture.

Gianluigi Donnarumma starts in goal, while Nico O’Reilly, Abdukodir Khusanov, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol make up the defensive line.

Anderson lines up in midfield alongside Mateo Kovacic and Phil Foden. The attack features Antoine Semenyo, Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku.

Manchester City’s starting XI is:

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma

Defenders: Nico O’Reilly, Abdukodir Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Mateo Kovacic, Phil Foden

Forwards: Antoine Semenyo, Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku

The substitutes are Geronimo Rulli, Marc Guehi, Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, Nicolas Gonzalez, Jack Grealish, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis.

Arsenal are aiming to win the Community Shield for an 18th time. They have lifted the trophy 17 times, with their most recent success coming in 2023.

Manchester City have won the shield on seven occasions, most recently in 2024. Their latest appearance comes as they begin another campaign at Wembley against Arsenal.

Manchester United remain the competition’s most successful club, having won the trophy 21 times.

The Community Shield traditionally brings together the winners of the previous Premier League and FA Cup campaigns, although the source article identifies this meeting as the opening match of the season. For City, the focus will be on starting the campaign with silverware, while Arsenal will be seeking to add to their previous record in the competition.

Marmoush will therefore begin the match as an option from the bench, with City’s attacking trio of Semenyo, Haaland and Doku given the responsibility of leading the line. Grealish and Cherki are also available should Maresca look to change the shape or add fresh attacking options during the match.