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Manchester City vs Manchester United Community Shield final: Preview, prediction and lineups

This will be the eighth time in Community Shield'S history that match is a repeat of the previous season’s FA Cup final

By Web Desk

August 10, 2024

Manchester City vs Manchester United will be hosted at Wembley. - AFP

The annual curtain-raiser of English football unfolds beneath the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon, as rivals Manchester City and Manchester United clash for the opportunity to lift the 102nd Community Shield.

This will be the eighth time in the history of the Community Shield that the match is a repeat of the previous season’s FA Cup final, following 1957 (Man Utd vs Aston Villa), 1977 (Man Utd vs Liverpool), 1985 (Everton vs Man Utd), 1986 (Everton vs Liverpool), 1988 (Liverpool vs Wimbledon), 2007 (Man Utd vs Chelsea), and 2017 (Arsenal vs Chelsea).

In the last eight instances where the Community Shield has been contested between the previous season’s champions and FA Cup winners, the FA Cup winners have lifted the Shield seven times. The exception to this was Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea in 2018, which bodes well for Erik ten Hag’s side following their 2-1 win over their neighbours in May.

City have frequently featured in the Community Shield in recent years. In fact, this will be the fourth consecutive year that Pep Guardiola’s men are competing in the event, though they have not won any of the last three, having lost to Leicester City (2021), Liverpool (2022), and Arsenal (2023). Only Manchester United (1998 to 2001) have lost the Community Shield four years in a row.

Historically, the Community Shield is Manchester United’s competition. Including shared victories, they have won the Shield more times than any other club (21), and they have triumphed in their last four appearances. This will be their first appearance since their 2-1 win over Leicester in 2016, which was José Mourinho’s first match in charge.

In terms of key players, Erling Haaland has been in formidable form during pre-season, recently netting a hat-trick against Chelsea in a 4-2 victory in Columbus. Haaland has an excellent record against United as well, having contributed to nine goals in six appearances against the Red Devils, scoring six and providing three assists. However, he has yet to register a single goal involvement in four appearances at Wembley.

Kobbie Mainoo became a regular starter for England at Euro 2024, and the teenager will be eager to add another milestone to his already impressive legacy. Having scored against City in the FA Cup final, he could become only the second player to score in both the FA Cup final and the subsequent Community Shield match as a teenager, following Nicolas Anelka for Arsenal in 1998.

Prediction

Despite a flurry of goals in the summer friendlies for both Man United and Man City, Ten Hag and Guardiola might opt for a more cautious strategy in Saturday's showpiece to prevent any further injury concerns ahead of the new season.

Man City have only won six of their last 15 Community Shield appearances, but they have triumphed over Man United in seven of their last 10 Manchester derby encounters across all competitions. We believe they will find a way to prevail at Wembley.

Manchester City 2-1 Manchester United