The Community Shield final will be contested between Arsenal and Manchester City. Even though fans often regard this competition as a pre‑season opener or even a warm‑up fixture, Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca, head coaches of the two sides, have both stated that they will not treat this fixture as a "friendly match".
Mikel Arteta’s pre‑match comments on the Community Shield:
“Our goal is to win the Community Shield. We will come up against a very strong opponent, yet we are full of anticipation for the start of the new season, especially beginning it with our first trophy. I can feel great energy across the whole squad; all international players have returned to the team, and we cannot wait to get into the competition.”
“This is a trophy we are in contention for, as we claimed the Premier League title last season. You can see how hungry the players are, and that is a positive sign.”
Enzo Maresca’s pre‑match comments on the Community Shield:
“For me personally, this is a trophy. Whenever there is a trophy and a final up for grabs, you always fight hard to win it.”
“So this is absolutely not a friendly match. We will give everything we have to lift this trophy and claim our first piece of silverware.”
