Community Shield weekend, Arsenal v Man City in Cardiff, who takes it

[Oliver98]

The new season kicks off properly this weekend with the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday, Arsenal against Manchester City. This is the first time the fixture has been held outside Wembley in 20 years since The Weeknd has the place booked for a tour, and it is the 217th meeting between these two clubs overall which is a wild number when you actually sit with it

Arsenal come in as reigning Premier League champions after finally ending their 22 year wait for the title last season, while City arrive as FA Cup winners looking to open their new campaign with some early season silverware. Recent head to heads have actually favored City though, they beat Arsenal in the EFL Cup final back in March and then again in the league at the Etihad in April, so City have won three of the last five meetings between the two sides across all competitions

Both squads are expected to be missing a chunk of their usual first XI given how many players from both clubs went deep into the World Cup this summer, so do not be shocked if this ends up looking more like a pre season friendly with a trophy attached than a full strength derby. Arteta has not confirmed his lineup yet but reports suggest a mix of first team regulars and some of the emerging Arsenal talent getting minutes

Historically these two have actually split things pretty evenly in Community Shield meetings specifically, Arsenal beat City on penalties back in 2023 after a 1 1 draw, so this fixture has a habit of coming down to fine margins even when the football itself is a bit scrappy

Feels like a genuine coin flip given the missing players and fatigue factor on both sides, more about vibes and season momentum than a proper form guide at this point

[RobVanDam]

City having won three of the last five head to heads including two knockout style wins this year makes me lean their way even with a weakened squad, they just seem to have Arsenal's number lately in one off games

[SpikeDudley88]

Playing this in Cardiff instead of Wembley is such a random change but honestly kind of refreshing, the Community Shield needed a bit of a shake up after being at Wembley forever

[James78]

Both teams missing a bunch of players from World Cup fatigue makes this really hard to predict, could easily turn into one of those weird scrappy Community Shield games decided by a fringe player having a big moment

[DeanAmbrose]

Arsenal have the psychological edge of actually being champions now, City might still be adjusting to not having that status for the first time in a while and that mental shift is not nothing

[DarkMatter92]

Historically this fixture goes to penalties more often than not between these two specifically, would not be shocked if we are here again watching a shootout decide it

[Pete]

Genuinely do not care much about the result itself since it does not count for anything real, more interested in seeing which fringe players get minutes and stake an early claim for the season ahead

[Jess_43]

Arteta not confirming a lineup yet feels like gamesmanship more than genuine indecision, be surprised if he does not go with a strong first choice back line even with a light front line

[RedKnight]

In the end it wasn't really competitive.  Arsenal ran home easy winners

[Q]

RK are you claiming victory for the red half of Manchester?

[Nebula Diane]

Be interesting to see how some of Arsenal's younger players handle a big occasion like this against a club with City's pedigree, that kind of experience matters more than the actual scoreline in the long run

[Cyberdyne37]

City's squad depth being the envy of Europe means even a weakened lineup from them is still genuinely dangerous, I would not read too much into missing regulars mattering as much for them as it might for other clubs

[Barry]

217 meetings between these two clubs is such an insane number when you think about it, this rivalry has been going on for over a century in various forms and shapes

[David93]

This match always feels like it tells you nothing real about the season ahead honestly, remember when City lost the Community Shield the year they went on to dominate the league