The Community Shield sees Premier League winners Arsenal take on FA Cup winners Manchester City for the fourth time in the fixture’s history on Sunday.
Taking place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff due to The Weeknd performing at Wembley, the fixture returns to south Wales for the first time since 2006 when Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1.
Arsenal have won all three previous meetings between the two clubs in the traditional curtain-raiser; the first a 4-0 win at Highbury back in 1934. More recently, Arsenal won 3-0 in 2014 and won on penalties in 2024 after a 1-1 draw.
Ahead of Sunday’s meeting, we’ve put together a combined XI of both teams.
GK – David Raya
Establishing himself as perhaps the best goalkeeper in the Premier League since his move to Arsenal, David Raya has won the Golden Glove award in all three seasons at the Emirates and is bidding to join Petr Cech and Joe Hart as the only keepers with four Golden Gloves.
RB – Jurrien Timber
Cruelly denied his maiden season with Arsenal having suffered a serious knee injury in his first game for the Gunners, Jurrien Timber has made up for lost time over the last two campaigns. Capable of playing all across the back line, Timber is an indispensable part of the Arsenal defence.
CB – William Saliba
One of the world’s best centre backs, Arsenal fans faced an anxious wait for news when William Saliba limped off in their World Cup semi-final with a back injury, and the France star will be missed at the heart of Mikel Arteta’s defence.
CB – Gabriel
Perfectly complementing the elegant Saliba is the more imposing Gabriel. A menace in both boxes, the Brazilian has 23 Premier League goal contributions in the last five seasons.
LB – Josko Gvardiol
Equally adept at centre-back or left-back, Josko Gvardiol was a big miss for Manchester City when suffering a broken leg in January, and his goalscoring threat and ability on the ball will make him a vital part of Enzo Maresca’s squad.
CM – Declan Rice
One of the best box-to-box midfielders in world football, Declan Rice has pounded every blade of grass at the Emirates since his £104m move in 2023. Named Arsenal’s Player of the Year two years running, Rice has also been named in the Premier League’s Team of the Year in 2024 and 2025 and is expected to be there once again in 2026.
CM – Rodri
While the Spaniard might not be at the Etihad for much longer, Rodri still gets the nod here while employed by Manchester City. The 2025/26 campaign saw Rodri struggle to fully get over his ACL injury, but he was back to his best at the World Cup, deservedly picking up the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player.
RW – Bukayo Saka
The difference between Bukayo Saka and understudy Noni Madueke was plain to see throughout the World Cup, even as Saka struggled for fitness. Since making his Premier League debut as a 17-year-old, Saka has recorded 0.57 goals and assists per 90, and has provided 18, 25, 25, 16 and 12 goal contributions across his last five seasons.
AM – Rayan Cherki
While Kevin De Bruyne’s creativity was nigh-on impossible to recreate, Rayan Cherki took on the mantle as Manchester City’s chief creator superbly following the Belgian's departure last summer. Vying for gametime with Phil Foden, the French attacking midfielder was often picked ahead of Foden in the second half of the season and was second behind Bruno Fernandes for assists last term.
LW – Antoine Semenyo
Capable of playing down the left or right, Antoine Semenyo has been deployed in a number of roles over the last 18 months. His performances earned the Ghanaian a big-money move to Manchester City in January where he hit the ground running, scoring seven goals in 17 games following his move to the Etihad.
CF – Erling Haaland
While there might be a debate regarding who the best centre forward in world football is, there’s no debate around who the best goalscorer is. Erling Haaland’s worst goalscoring season in the last seven years still saw him find the net 22 times when injury restricted him to just 31 games. Since moving to England, Haaland has scored 36, 27, 22 and 27 goals for Manchester City.
