Arsenal vs Manchester City Full Match Community Shield 2023

Wembley Stadium hosts the traditional Premier League curtain-raiser, as Arsenal and Manchester City renew hostilities with the Community Shield 2023. The Citizens enter the showdown on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in their most recent friendly, while their North London counterparts retained the Emirates Cup by beating Monaco.

As Pep Guardiola’s treble winners revelled in their unrestrained celebrations earlier in the summer, Arsenal were able to quietly cheer the consolation prize of a place in the Community Shield courtesy of their second-placed finish in the 2022-23 Premier League campaign.

While a late capitulation saw Arsenal set a new record of 248 days at the summit without etching their name onto the trophy, the Gunners’ league campaign exceeded all expectations placed before them at the start of the campaign, and Mikel Arteta’s side could still be rewarded for their efforts with a slice of silverware..

In recent years, Arsenal have developed a penchant for England’s version of the Super Cup, winning each of their last four Community Shield matches – most recently seeing off Liverpool on penalties in 2020 – and only two of their last 10 such games have ended in defeat.

Arsenal’s love affair with the Community Shield is therefore well-documented, but Arteta will be under no illusions that his charges will possess the underdog tag against Man City, even if the Sky Blues’ preparations for the new term leave something to be desired.

Man City have struggled to keep the back door shut themselves and should not blow Arteta’s men away as they have done in the past – especially with concerns over De Bruyne’s fitness providing an unwelcome distraction – but the treble winners ought to upset the Community Shield apple cart to add title number seven to their trophy case.