AFCON 2025
The 2026 FA Community Shield takes place on Sunday, August 16, with the Gunners facing City in the traditional curtain-raiser to the new campaign. The match marks the 104th installment of the fixture and, unusually, moves away from its traditional venue, the Wembley home to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
The Community Shield pits the reigning Premier League champions against the FA Cup holders. Arsenal qualify as Premier League winners while Manchester City come in as FA Cup holders, setting up the 217th meeting between the two clubs. Arsenal will feel they have unfinished business with City in cup competition, having last met them in the Community Shield in 2023, losing 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. That result, though, has not been repeated since.
Recent head-to-head form heavily favours City. In the 2025/26 season, City beat Arsenal twice in major domestic fixtures — a 2-0 win in the EFL Cup final at Wembley in March and a Premier League victory at the Etihad in April. Across the last five meetings between the sides in all competitions, City have won three to Arsenal’s one, with one draw.
Off the pitch, City arrive under a new manager for the first time in a decade. Enzo Maresca has been appointed to succeed Pep Guardiola, who stepped down after ten years in charge, signing a three-year deal at the Etihad. Arsenal, meanwhile, go into the game with fresh faces of their own but also fresh concerns. Mikel Arteta’s summer additions include Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle and Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, replacing Leandro Trossard, who moved to Besiktas. Defensively, though, Arsenal will be without both William Saliba and Jurrien Timber through injury.
1. Arsenal’s defence is short-handed at the worst time
Arteta built last season’s title win on a settled, physical back line, and that platform now looks shaky. Both Saliba and Timber are ruled out through injury, stripping Arsenal of two first-choice centre-backs against a City attack that thrives on exploiting exactly that kind of gap. Erling Haaland and City’s forward line will fancy their chances against a makeshift defensive pairing on their first competitive outing of the season.
2. Man City hold the psychological edge in recent meetings
Confidence matters in fixtures like this, and City have it. They have beaten Arsenal in both of their last two major domestic clashes — the EFL Cup final and a Premier League meeting at the Etihad — and hold a 3-1 advantage across their last five encounters in all competitions. Arsenal have not solved City competitively in some time, and that pattern is unlikely to break in a one-off cup final.
3. A new manager bounce could work in City’s favour
Maresca inherits a City side that already knows him well. He has two prior spells at the club, including a stint as Guardiola’s assistant, giving him a head start in understanding the squad’s habits and culture. A new manager often brings a jolt of energy and tactical freshness to a first competitive fixture, and City could use that momentum, paired with continuity in personnel, to get their post-Guardiola era off to a winning start against a Gunners side still finding its feet after a taxing World Cup summer for several of its stars.
