Preview: Arsenal vs Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups

The first trophy/not trophy of the 2026-27 English football season is up for grabs at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on Sunday, when Premier League holders Arsenal and FA Cup champions Manchester City renew hostilities in the 2026 Community Shield.

The curtain-raiser is a repeat of the 2023 English Super Cup, in which Mikel Arteta got one over Pep Guardiola on penalties, but the student is no longer facing the master.

Match preview

Twice Arsenal have won a trophy thanks to a Vieira penalty; Fabio Vieira converted the crucial spot kick against Man City in the 2023 Community Shield, 18 years after Patrick Vieira clinched the FA Cup for the Gunners at Manchester United's expense in Cardiff.

A return to the Millennium Stadium could therefore hardly be more appropriate for Arsenal, who have also demonstrated their penalty prowess throughout pre-season, albeit without a similarly standout 90 minutes beforehand.

After a behind-closed-doors success over MK Dons, Arteta's men won just one of their four official summer friendlies and failed to triumph in any of their closing three, although Borussia Dortmund and Como were both bettered on spot kicks after denying Arsenal victory at the Emirates Stadium.

Coincidentally, both of Arsenal's Community Shield victories in the current decade were sealed from 12 yards - Arteta's men bested then-Premier League champions Liverpool at an empty Wembley in 2020 - and the Gunners are searching for title number 18 in this one-off event.

Only Manchester United (21) have won more Community Shields than Arsenal since the competition's inception, but the Gunners can match the Red Devils for outright victories; Man Utd's 21 triumphs are made up of 17 outright wins and four shared successes, while Arsenal have only split the silverware in one of their 17 previous crownings.

Arsenal vs. Man City Community Shield Match Preview ?? | "It Is A Trophy!"

Seventeen meets seven on Sunday afternoon, as Man City have only taken home a septet of Community Shields, although three of those triumphs came during the glittering Guardiola era.

The Sky Blues last hoisted the octagonal honour in 2024 - another penalty-shootout triumph over bitter rivals Manchester United - and only four clubs (the Red Devils, Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton) have out-performed Man City in the competition.

Earning their ticket to Cardiff by virtue of defeating Chelsea in the 2026 FA Cup final, ex-Blues boss Enzo Maresca prepares for his first competitive Citizens match after overseeing an unbeaten pre-season period; 12-yard defeats excluded.

A 1-1 draw with Inter Milan - and subsequent penalty loss - preceded back-to-back 3-1 wins over a K-League XI and Atletico Madrid, the latter of which saw Omar Marmoush bag a brace in the absence of his superior Erling Haaland.

However, Norway's World Cup icon had the final say when Man City overcame Arsenal 2-1 at the Etihad in April, meaning that the Sky Blues have lost just one of their last six games against the Gunners and can beat Arteta's men three times on the spin for the first time since 2023.

Arsenal pre-season form:

Manchester City form (all competitions):

Team News

Defensive absentees have hit Arsenal hard in pre-season, and Arteta will be missing Jurrien Timber (groin) and William Saliba (back) for a while longer; the former a matter of weeks and the latter a matter of months.

However, every other member of the Premier League champions' squad is back available, including the English and Spanish World Cup crop, although Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Zubimendi should not start having not played a single minute of pre-season.

On the other hand, £75m arrival Bruno Guimaraes is good to go for his full debut after coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Como, while David Raya - who stopped two penalties in midweek - is sure to displace Kepa Arrizabalaga as the last line of defence.

Meanwhile, Man City have welcomed Haaland back to their training base in recent days, but as is the case with Rice, Saka and co, the 26-year-old should begin on the bench owing to a total lack of pre-season action.

Maresca could be forced into two alterations from the starting XI that faced Atletico too, as Tottenham Hotspur-linked Savinho missed training earlier this week due to illness, while Tijjani Reijnders is on the cusp of a £52m Saudi Pro League move.

Rodri - not quite Barcelona-bound just yet - is also absent on account of his back operation, so Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic are primed to form the double pivot; new signing Elliot Anderson is yet to make his debut and will surely be on the bench at best.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Hincapie; Guimaraes, Lewis-Skelly; Madueke, Odegaard, Tzolis; Havertz

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Kovacic, Gonzalez; Savinho, Foden, Semenyo; Marmoush

We say: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City (Arsenal win on penalties)

The Community Shield goes straight to penalties if the score is level after 90 minutes, and we cannot envisage a scenario where Sunday's showdown is not decided from the spot.

Having already prevailed twice from 12 yards this summer, we have faith in Arteta's men to make it a fabulous three-peat on penalties and repeat their 2023 Community Shield trick in Cardiff.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.