2023 FA Community Shield: Team news, broadcast info, preview for Man City vs Arsenal

Topics: TV Schedules, Manchester City, Arsenal, FA Community Shield

The Gunners reignite their rivalry with the Cityzens at Wembley Stadium. Will Arteta end his losing streak against his mentor? Here is a preview of this clash.

The FA Community Shield, the annual curtain-raiser for the Premier League, is finally here! Manchester City, the team that won not only the Premier League but the treble as well, prepare to face Arsenal, who finished second in the top flight. As is tradition, Wembley Stadium will host this 10 a.m. ET showdown as both sides look to kick off 2023/24 with a bang.

All eyes will be on Manchester City as they are the undisputed kings of England right now. After several years of heartbreak, last season saw Guardiola's side finally get their hands on the holly grail: the UEFA Champions League.

After overcoming RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid in the knockout stage, the Cityzens booked themselves a showdown with Inter Milan in the final. Fortunately for them, they were able to avoid a repeat of the 2021 final and won this time, beating the Nerazzurri 1-0 thanks to Rodri's decisive goal.

On top of that, Haaland and Co. also won the Premier League title and the FA Cup, beating Manchester United to join the Red Devils as one of only two English clubs in the history of football to win the treble.

However, a lot has changed since then. Ilkay Gundogan, the man who captained Manchester City to the treble, has departed, leaving the Etihad Stadium for Barcelona on a free. Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez joined a growing list of superstars to leave Europe for the Saudi Pro League, and while Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol have been recruited, the consensus is that Pep's squad has gotten weaker.

Additionally, City are less prepared after playing only three preseason games. Things kicked off with a lovely 5-3 comeback victory over Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, with Erling scoring a brace. After that came a 2-1 triumph over Bayern Munich but the Premier League champions head into the Community Shield on the back of a 2-1 loss to Atletico Madrid.

The same, however, cannot be said about Arsenal, who enter this fixture on the back of their Emirates Cup victory — though this was an uninspiring triumph via penalties. This has been the tale of the Gunners this preseason, with Arteta's men impressing in spells and disappointing on occasion following their midfield overhaul.

The departure of Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen over the summer meant that Mikel needed to replace the Swiss ace and bolster his thin midfield. As a result, the North London giants secured the mega-money signing of Declan Rice, beating City to his signature, while recruiting the struggling Kai Havertz from Chelsea with the hope of rekindling his Leverkusen form.

Additionally, Jurrien Timber was brought in to bolster the defense and the addition of these three new faces has unbalanced what was an exceptional team last season. Yes, Arsenal tore the MLS All-Star team and Barcelona in the USA, winning 5-0 and 5-3 respectively. However, Saka and Co. also drew with Watford and Nurnberg while losing 2-0 to rivals Manchester United.

Additionally, the Gunners struggled defensively against Monaco over the weekend in the Emirates Cup, with the Ligue 1 side cutting through Arteta's defense on the transition on several occasions. However, the Spaniard rotated heavily for that game and should return to a strong starting eleven on Sunday.

The reason is simple: while the FA Community Shield does not matter in the long run, Arsenal must lay a marker. The manner in which they lost the 2022/23 Premier League was gutting and losing both home and away to Manchester City last season aided in their collapse.

It has been a while since the North London giants have beaten the Cityzens. Will Sunday be the day Arteta ends his team's wait for a win over Guardiola? Don't miss this clash.

Team news

Manchester City: While Kevin de Bruyne is yet to fully recover from the injury he suffered at the UEFA Champions League final, some Arsenal fans suspect the Belgian will make a miraculous recovery to torment the Gunners once more. Nathan Ake, on the other hand, should be fine for this game while Mateo Kovacic could make his competitive debut for the Cityzens. Josko Gvardiol, who was unveiled on Saturday, will play no part in this game, however.

Arsenal: First-choice striker Gabriel Jesus will play no part in this tie after undergoing a procedure to fix a knee issue recently. The Brazilian will be out for weeks and miss the start of the season. Oleksandr Zinchenko, meanwhile, is back but lacks fitness and is unlikely to feature. Reiss Nelson, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Folarin Balogun are recovering from toe, muscle, and foot injuries respectively. Bukayo Saka was ill for the Emirates Cup but should be fine for this tie.

Key stats

Man City are on an eight-game winning streak vs. Arsenal.
The Gunners have won just two of their last 17 encounters with the Cityzens, losing the other 15.
However, those two victories over Pep Guardiola were both at Wembley Stadium, triumphing 2-1 and 2-0 in the FA Cup.
This is the third Community Shield encounter between these two clubs, with the North London giants winning the previous two.
The last time Guardiola's side won the FA Community Shield was in 2019.
The Gunners' last Community Shield success came in 2020.