New Manchester City signing Frank Lampard will not make his debut for the club in the Community Shield clash with Arsenal, nor will any of the players who arrived back from their post-World Cup holidays this week. Former Arsenal player Bacary Sagna has also been denied the chance to play against his former side and will be rested following his involvement in the knock-out stages of the World Cup. Arsenal striker Oliver Giroud could be forced to sit this one out after looking short of match fitness during pre-season, though new summer signings Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy and Alexis Sanchez could feature. Fellow new recruit David Ospina misses out with a thigh injury, however. (bbc)
Key Stats
Manchester City have lost only one of their last eight games against Arsenal in all competitions (W4, D3). The Gunners last contested a Community Shield at Wembley in 1999, beating Manchester United 2-1. City have won the Community Shield or Charity Shield on four occasions, but never at Wembley. There have been six red cards in the last eight league matches between these sides, with City receiving four and Arsenal two.
Likely Line-Ups
Arsenal Szczesny, Gibbs, Koscielny, Chambers, Debuchy, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla, Ramsey, Sanchez, Sanogo Man City Hart, Kolarov, Demichelis, Kompany, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Toure, Silva, Aguero, Nasri, Jovetic
Match Preview
You have to go back to 1999 to find the last time Arsenal lifted the Community Shield and, after ending their nine-year trophy drought by winning the FA Cup to qualify for Sunday's final, the Gunners will be hoping they can add yet more silverware to their cabinets by seeing off English champions Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. The fires have been well stoked ahead of kick-off with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger making a series of digs at City's signing of ex-Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, who has moved to Etihad Stadium on loan from New York City FC until the New Year. Lampard is not expected to feature here, but could make his debut in the Premier League opener next weekend. Another potentially combustible element of this game that has also been avoided is Bacary Sagna's omission from the match day squad. Sagna moved to City from the Emirates this summer but will not play against his former side having been rested following his involvement in the latter stages of the World Cup. That's not to say this clash is completely devoid of excitement, however. We could catch a first glimpse of Alexis Sanchez in action for the Gunners following his big-money move from Barcelona, while fellow new signings Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy could feature. And while fans may get an opportunity to see new signings in action, they will also see another first - the use of 'vanishing spray'. The spray will be used for the first time in English football in the Community Shield final, following its successful implementation at this summer's World Cup. But who will get over the line to lift the first piece of silverware of the new season? Prediction: Arsenal 1-2 Man City
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
