Football

Arsenal vs Manchester City Preview & Tips – City to make statement with Community Shield win over Arsenal

By Ben Darvill

2 hours ago

Ben Darvill 2 hours ago

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Manchester City have won their last two against Arsenal
The Gunners have scored and failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five across competitions
Preview, stats & head to head

Phil Foden of Manchester City (Getty Images)

Arsenal vs Manchester City Preview & Tips
Head To Head
Arsenal Form
Manchester City Form

Arsenal vs Manchester City Preview & Tips

Arsenal roared to the Premier League title in the 2025/26 season following a supreme campaign in which they outdid all others.

Manchester City arrive for a new era under Enzo Maresca, with their new manager looking to take advantage of Pep Guardiola’s FA Cup win last season by winning the Community Shield.

Both teams have scored in four of the last five meetings between the sides
City are unbeaten in their last three against the Gunners (W2, D1)

Head To Head

City have won four of their last 10 against Arsenal, with the Gunners winning twice and four matches ending as draws after 90 minutes.

Arsenal Form

Arsenal’s pre-season has hardly been impressive, with the English Premier League champions arriving with two defeats and a single win prior to their clash with Como this week.

Their 4-1 win over Girona was followed by a 3-1 loss to Real Betis and a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund. While pre-season is not always a barometer for how a side will play in the new season, three without a clean sheet and seven goals conceded in this time is a worry.

Of course, conceding goals and trying out different tactics and combinations is better in pre-season than it is in the competitive campaign. However, with City to come, Mikel Arteta cannot afford to allow his side to take a big psychological blow heading into the defence of their title.

While I predict that the Gunners will be more like their old selves, I am not backing them to win this game. City have been better of late, and I back Maresca to get one over on Arteta in their first meeting as City and Arsenal managers respectively.

Manchester City Form

Manchester City began pre-season with a defeat on penalties to Inter Milan, with both sides struggling to separate themselves in normal time.

Instead of resting on this defeat, City have roared to a pair of 3-1 wins over K-League Stars and Atletico Madrid, with their win over the Spanish side particularly impressive. Maresca’s tactics have started to show, with their focus on attacking via the wings seeing Atleti torn apart.

Much like Arsenal, a return to competitive football will likely see both sides focussing on being tough to beat with a trophy on the line. City will likely be the aggressors in the game, and this will play into their hands as they look to control the ball and pull Arsenal apart.

City have won their last two against the Gunners and I back Maresca’s side to build on a solid pre-season with another win.

Verdict

Arsenal v Man City

I am backing City to beat Arsenal as the two best sides in England find the back of the net.

City Win & BTTS Yes

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