The 2023/24 Premier League returns with its usual curtain-raiser – the Community Shield – on Sunday 6 August 2023 with Arsenal set to lock horns with Premier League and European champions Manchester City.
The two sides, who took center stage in the 2022/23 Premier League title race, will renew their hostilities.
After losing the Premier League title challenge at the dearth to Manchester City, Mikel Arteta will hope to prove his team’s preparedness to challenge for the title again.
Manchester City, on the other hand, will hope to consolidate on their dominance as they get ready to defend and battle for their fifth Premier League title in a row.
It will be rollercoaster clash and Arsenal fans will hope to harvest a pound of flesh from City after the late stumble in the title race last season.
Preseason friendlies rarely offers a good picture of what to expect from Premier League teams before the start of the season but Arsenal seemed to have changed the narrative last season when they took their unbeaten preseason run to the Premier League, winning five straight matches before stumbling to a narrow defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Gunners did bounced back from the defeat against Manchester United to challenge for the Premier League title but were subdued late in the race after William Saliba’s injury.
Mikel Arteta’s preseason campaign this year has been a tale of contrasting fortunes, featuring defeats against Manchester United, big win over Barcelona, and defending the Emirates Cup with a win against Monaco.
City have not had an overall impressive preseason outing but a win over Guardiola’s former employers, Bayern Munich, was a big one for the treble winners after putting five goals pass Yokohama in Japan in an eight-goal thriller.
However, Diego Simeone’s boys shocked the Premier League giants in their last preseason friendly with a 2-1 win to peel off the gloss of City’s invincibility.
Head-to-head
It will be a competitive tie between both sides although bookmakers will seem to give it to Manchester City. Last season, City won three out of three against Arsenal, including back-to-back Premier League win which effectively twisted the balance of the Premier League title race.
Nevertheless, it has always been a crunch and difficult tie between the two teams across all competitions. They have met 55 times with Arsenal winning 23, Manchester City 24, and 8 matches ending in a draw.
Team News
Arsenal will likely miss Gabriel Jesus in the starting lineup following his recent knee injury which Mikel Arteta confirmed will rule him out for few weeks.
Eddie Nketiah may likely start in his place with Saliba and Maghalhaes available for the clash, including Aaron Ramsdale who will mann the goalpost.
Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, will also be available for the game, including new signings Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice.
Manchester City will parade most members of their treble-winning squad with Ederson on goal. Stones, Rodri, Manuel Akanji, Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish are all expected to start with new signing Mateo Kovacic also likely to start.
Arsenal probable IX: Ramsdale; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Rice, Partey; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
Manchester City probable IX: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, Kovacic, Foden, Grealish; Haaland
Prediction
It will be a rollercoaster between the two teams at Wembley. With their highly fluid and attacking style of football both sides will score but Manchester City will likely win 2-1 at the blast of the final whistle.
