[PREVIEW] Community Shield: Who will reign supreme at Wembley, City or United?

3 months ago 94

The Manchester derby for the Community Shield brings together two of English football’s fiercest rivals, Manchester United and Manchester City, both coming off memorable seasons.

Manchester United vs. Manchester City Community Shield match today by 3 pm promises to be an electrifying clash between two of England’s most storied clubs.

This game serves as the traditional curtain-raiser for the English football season, pitting the Premier League champions, Man City, against the FA Cup winners, Man United.

With both teams boasting star-studded lineups and fierce rivalries, the match is expected to be intensely competitive.

City’s dominance in recent seasons, under Pep Guardiola, contrasts with United’s resurgence under Erik Ten Hag.

Ten Hag will be aiming to make it back-to-back wins over City at Wembley when he leads United into the Community Shield three months on from his side’s FA Cup win over their neighbours at the national stadium.

Head to Head: City or United?

Man City and Man United are set to face off at Wembley in the Community Shield, just 11 weeks after their FA Cup final clash.

This match isn’t just about winning a big shield; it’s about gaining momentum and bragging rights.

According to Opta analyst, this is the eighth time in Community Shield history that the match will be a rematch of the previous season’s FA Cup final. Previous instances include matches in 1957 (Man Utd vs Aston Villa), 1977 (Man Utd vs Liverpool), 1985 (Everton vs Man Utd), and 2017 (Arsenal vs Chelsea), among others.

Interestingly, in the last eight Community Shield matches between the league champions and FA Cup winners, the FA Cup winner has claimed the shield seven times. The only exception was Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea in 2018. This could be a positive sign for Erik ten Hag’s side after their 2-1 win over City in May.

Manchester City has been a regular in the Community Shield, appearing for the fourth consecutive year. However, they haven’t won any of the last three, losing to Leicester City (2021), Liverpool (2022), and Arsenal (2023). The only other team to lose the Shield four times in a row was Manchester United from 1998 to 2001.

Historically, Manchester United dominates this competition, with 21 titles, including shared victories. They’ve won their last four appearances, with their most recent win in 2016 under José Mourinho.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes

This will be the third Community Shield meeting between the two Manchester clubs. United won both previous encounters, 1-0 in 1956 and 3-2 in 2011.

Last season, City won both Premier League matches against United, 3-0 at Old Trafford and 3-1 at the Etihad. However, United triumphed in the FA Cup final, with Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scoring the goals that secured the victory, despite a late goal from Jérémy Doku.

United defence crises

Manchester United faces defensive concerns ahead of the Community Shield clash against City, with several key players potentially unavailable.

Erik ten Hag mentioned that Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Luke Shaw are all “question marks” for the match due to fitness issues.

This could leave Ten Hag without his preferred back four, adding to an already problematic injury list that includes Leny Yoro and Tyrell Malacia.

Jonny Evans and Harry Amass may be called upon, while Lisandro Martinez and Diogo Dalot, who missed pre-season due to international duties, might also see significant minutes.

Man City: Missing out of action?

In a press conference on Friday ahead of Saturday’s Community Shield clash with Manchester United at Wembley, Pep Guardiola provided an update on the availability of some key Manchester City players—Rodri, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, and John Stones.

All four were involved in the Euro 2024 final, with Rodri celebrating victory with Spain, while Foden, Walker, and Stones ended up with runner-up medals, having lost to Italy three years earlier in the COVID-delayed Euro 2020 final.

Several senior players, including Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Matheus Nunes, and Joao Cancelo (who was on loan at Barcelona last season), have already returned to training this week. However, Rodri, Foden, Walker, and Stones have not yet rejoined the squad, as they have been granted extended time off following their summer exploits.

Guardiola confirmed that the quartet would return to the club next week, ruling them out of the Community Shield match against Manchester United. Or could this be a mind game?

“We try to give them as much rest as possible,” Guardiola explained. “We would like more time, but it is what it is. The England players and Rodri will come back next week. What’s next? Training sessions, step by step, and rotation to keep the players fresh.”

One player who might make a return is goalkeeper Ederson, who missed the 4-2 friendly win over Chelsea due to some “niggles” but has been back in training this week.

New signings debut?

With Yoro out injured, Joshua Zirkzee will hope to make his United debut at the national stadium, three-and-a-half weeks after his arrival from Bologna.

Savinho remains City’s only signing so far as fans watch with keen eyes what will happen as the transfer window closes in August ending.

Stars to look out for

Meanwhile, PUNCH Online reports that key battles on the pitch could involve City’s Erling Haaland, and more youngsters getting a chance against United’s defence, Antony’s genius, Garnacho’s speed and Bruno Fernandes’ creative play against City’s midfield.