Less than two months after securing a treble with a thrilling UEFA Champions League final victory against Inter Milan, Manchester City is set to compete for more silverware in the Community Shield against Arsenal.
Despite a successful 2022/23 campaign, the summer has not been without challenges for City, with key players İlkay Gündoğan and Riyad Mahrez leaving, while Mateo Kovačić arrives from Chelsea.
Despite the departures, Pep Guardiola’s squad retains substantial quality, highlighted by their dominant run to the treble, losing only one of their last 26 matches (W20, D5).
Impressively, this will mark City’s 16th appearance at Wembley in cup competitions under Guardiola’s leadership (W10, L5).
However, the Community Shield has not been kind to them, losing their last two appearances and historically holding a negative win-loss record (W6, L8).
In contrast, Arsenal boasts a strong record in the Community Shield, winning their last four, including a notable 3-0 victory against City in 2014.
A triumph in this clash would be the Gunners’ 17th title, positioning them second on the all-time list, just behind Manchester United (21).
Additionally, the match represents an opportunity for Mikel Arteta’s men to demonstrate their intent for the upcoming season, following a disappointing end to the previous campaign, winning only three of their last nine matches (D3, L3).
Arsenal’s recent trips to Wembley have been fruitful, remaining unbeaten in the last three matches (W2, D1).
However, maintaining that record against City might prove challenging as they face an ongoing eight-match losing streak in head-to-head encounters.
In fact, Arsenal has managed only one win in the last 16 meetings (L15), making revenge a powerful motivation for the Gunners on the hallowed turf of the national stadium.
The key battle in this clash centers around 52-goal striker Erling Haaland, who Guardiola lauds as “fitter and much better” this season.
Haaland proved to be a menace to Arsenal last season, contributing to four goals in three encounters (G2, A2).
Arsenal’s William Saliba will be tasked with containing him, having lost only three of his 27 Premier League appearances last term (W21, D3).
A notable statistic is Arteta’s unfavorable record against Guardiola, losing nine of their ten meetings.
This includes a January 2022 fixture where Arteta was absent due to COVID, representing his lowest win rate against any other manager with at least two head-to-head encounters.