Arsenal and Manchester City will contest the Community Shield on Sunday, at Wembley Stadium in London.
Both teams played their part in a memorable title race last season.
Pep Guardiola‘s side were eventually crowned Premier League champions after taking an unassailable lead before going on to achieve a historic Treble in the Champions League final.
Many are tipping them to repeat the same feat but Guardiola is well aware of what lies ahead.
He said: “There are a lot of teams that are going to fight for everything and the challenge is massive for us.
“You cannot win more than we won – it’s impossible. But the challenge is how hungry we are and if we still have the desire to defend what we won.
“We will see during the next 11 months, particularly during the lower moments – and we will have more of them than ever – how we can overcome.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insists that his side will give it everything they have got, despite acknowledging they are facing “the best team in Europe”.
“This is what we want, fighting for every trophy. We have to prove that,” Arteta said.
“What we did last year was not enough to win the big trophy and we have to be better.
“We’re very excited to play a final and have the opportunity to win a trophy. We’re playing against a team that is the team to beat, the best team in Europe last season and we know what the standards are.”
How can I watch the Community Shield?
The Community Shield will be broadcast live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 3.15pm, before the game kicks off at 4pm.
Live-streaming is available via the ITVX app and through the online player.
What can we expect from the two teams?
By George Simms
With the big-money signings of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Timber, Arsenal’s squad is significantly stronger than the one which challenged City for the title last season. While it raised eyebrows initially, Havertz’s introduction gives Arteta options for incredible flexibility in attacking play. In their friendly against Barcelona, the German began playing as a left-sided No 8, Granit Xhaka’s former role, before also lining up at left-wing and up front throughout the game.
Given the versatility of other attacking tools like Saka and Leandro Trossard, expect to see some of the interplay and position switching we have come to expect from Guardiola’s Man City from the side in red.
Meanwhile, Rice is expected to line up alongside Thomas Partey in a midfield duo trialled throughout pre-season. Despite Xhaka’s reputation as a hard man, Rice is a significant upgrade both defensively and going forward, and will likely be key to this contest.
However, Arsenal fans may be disappointed not to see Timber in his preferred role, as a player most comfortable as a right-back or centre-back is likely utilised on the left to cover for Zinchenko. Yet he has excelled as a left-back in pre-season, highlighting his credentials as a versatile talent with excellent footballing intelligence.
Read the rest of George’s analysis in full here
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/kUnCJ36
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