Chelsea vs. Manchester City
- What: FA Community Shield
- When: Sunday 5 August
- Where: Wembley Stadium, London
- Kick-off time: 3pm
- TV channel: live on BT Sport
The traditional curtain-raiser to the new English football season takes place on Sunday as FA Cup winners Chelsea take on Premier League champions Manchester City at Wembley Stadium (3pm kick-off).
After winning the title last season with a record 100-point tally, City boss Pep Guardiola has called on his side to continue their success with victory on Sunday.
Speaking to the thefa.com, Guardiola said: “This Community Shield match is the perfect platform for us to continue our progress from last year and the tour. Last season was amazing – there were so many highlights.
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“Of course, our job is to win, and the Premier League title is so special for us. But of course, playing like we did last season sets the bar higher for everyone this time around. Everyone will be desperate to take the crown and we must maintain maximum focus to ensure more success. Retaining trophies is so complicated, but I have complete confidence in my squad.
“Now it’s time to go back to basics. We must play with humility, belief and courage, then the quality will come.”
Maurizio Sarri was appointed as Chelsea’s new manager in place of Antonio Conte this summer and he admits the clash against City will be a tough one after the two teams finished so far apart last term.
The Italian said: “Manchester City, I think, is the best team at the moment. The gap last season between City and Chelsea was 30 points and so I think it will be a very difficult match for us. They have worked together for two years with the same coach and we have worked together for only a few weeks. But we have to try to do our best, we have to try to win.”
Chelsea vs. Man City team news
City’s £60m summer signing Riyad Mahrez injured an ankle during a pre-season win against Bayern Munich, but The Daily Telegraph reports that he could be in line to face Chelsea. After returning from a cruciate knee ligament injury Benjamin Mendy could start his first competitive match for City since September.
The Manchester Evening News reports that a number of City’s World Cup stars “could be eased back into the first-team squad against Chelsea”, but Guardiola is expected to put his faith in a number of fringe players.
According to The Sun Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas is a serious doubt for Sunday’s clash because of a knee injury. The Sun says Blues boss Sarri “looks likely to start with a 4-3-3 formation” against City. There will be a battle for the midfield spots with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tiemoué Bakayoko, Ross Barkley and Danny Drinkwater all in contention.
Which TV channel is showing the Community Shield?
The match is live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 4K UHD. BT’s coverage starts at 2pm. Kick-off is at 3pm.
