The final is played between the previous season’s Premier League winners against the FA Cup winners. As a result, the 2024/25 Community Shield features Premier League champions Manchester City against FA Cup winners Manchester United.

Saturday’s final will be the first Community Shield between the two Manchester teams since 2011.

Community Shield history

Previously known as the FA Charity Shield, the annual game was first introduced in 1908. It stemmed from the Sheriff of London Shield which featured a leading professional club against a leading amateur club.

In the 1911 fixture, Manchester United and Swindon Town played out the highest-scoring game of its kind. United won 8-4 on the day with the money donated to the Lord Mayor of London’s “Titanic” disaster fund.

The name change occurred in 2002 after it was proposed by FA Secretary Ted Croker.

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Manchester City’s form in the final

For the blue side of Manchester, the last time they did not feature in the one-off game was 2020. Taking into account this Community Shield fixture, Pep Guardiola’s side will have featured in six of the last seven games of its kind.

The one season they did not feature was when Liverpool won the league title in the 2019/20 season.

In the six previous encounters for Manchester City, they have only come away with two wins, having lost the other four. The statistic showcases how the game does not showcase exactly how the season will play out.

The eight-time Premier League winners went on to win the league four times after featuring in the Community Shield.

Manchester United

This is the Red Devils’ first time in the Community Shield since 2016 when they defeated Leicester City 2-1.

In United’s last five appearances, they have only managed to lose one time. This came against Chelsea in 2009, losing out on penalties.

The club has a rich history of taking home the trophy, winning it on 21 occasions – more than any other club. They have also featured in it 30 times.

Since Manchester United last won the Community Shield, they have had five different managers – including one as caretaker (Michael Carrick) and one as interim (Ralf Rangnick).

Erik ten Hag will hope to hit the ground running in Saturday’s game and make it three trophies in three years.

How to watch the Community Shield

Saturday’s FA Community Shield between Manchester City and Manchester United will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 10 AM ET.

Photo: IMAGO / Propaganda Photo.

The Dane has been often linked with a move away – particularly now since the new-look Manchester United seeks to offload those who underperform.

The 32-year-old midfielder has often spoken truthfully about how life is at the North West side and has recently spoken about pre-season. When it comes to this sport, Eriksen is a man who has earned respect and has been through a lot as a professional footballer.

A breath of fresh air

Over the years, honesty has become a rare entity with fans of the red side of Manchester. These supporters have become accustomed to hearing PR statements about certain elements or ongoings at the club. Whether this comes from the official club channels or players’ social media platforms, the Reds fans know to take these with a pinch of salt.

The hope for the present and future of the club is that this will be a thing of the past.

Instead, they will be hopeful the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe will bring a more transparent football club. However, since the arrival of Eriksen, fans have often been given an insight into what life is like at the club.

Last summer, the Dane spoke out against the schedule the club had when preparing for the new season, saying: “I think it’s been good, there’s been a lot of games and too much traveling, to be honest.”

He added: “We expected a tough pre-season, but for me, there’s probably been too much traveling around”.

When asked about last year’s preseason schedule, which included several games in the United States, he said: “Obviously last summer is what it is. It’s also a sponsor’s trip at the same time as fitness and, looking at it, the football was pushed a little bit backwards last season”.

Nottingham Forest defeat

In December of last year, Erik ten Hag’s side fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest. This game showcased another example when the club conceded shortly after scoring. Marcus Rashford leveled proceedings in the 78th minute before Morgan Gibbs-White scored the winner, just four minutes later.

Speaking out after the defeat, Eriksen said: “We have to look forward, we have to work to get back. I mean, this season has been a lot of ups and downs, so it’s nothing new for us”.

This honesty is far more respected by the large sections of the United following rather than hearing a regurgitated statement following a defeat.

Christian Eriksen and Manchester United: The past and future of his career

Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest at 29 years of age when playing for Denmark in Euro 2020 against Finland.

Teammates of the Dane huddled around him to ensure his privacy as the medical staff worked on resuscitating him.

Since then, the player has been lauded by fans of the clubs he has played for and even those he played against.

In May 2022, in the final home game of the season, then-Ralf Rangnick’s side defeated Brentford 3-0 and Eriksen played the full 90 minutes for the Bees.

Supporters of the Red Devils made their support known throughout the game by applauding him regularly.

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The three-time Eredivisie winner now faces a period of uncertainty as the club explores options to cooperate with Financial Fair Play while introducing signings.

In March of this year, he spoke out on the lack of game time as he battled Kobbie Mainoo for a place in the starting lineup.

He said: “I’ve said in the past that I’m not happy with not playing, but it’s not something I lose sleep over. The team performs and then I have to respect the role you have on the side”.

Currently Eriksen faces tough competition for his place in the starting lineup.

As INEOS look to switch the club to a more youthful side, the Serie A winner could be shown the door this summer.

Photo: IMAGO / Propaganda Photo.

The European Championship and the Copa America concluded over two weeks ago meaning soccer fans have to resort to pre-season friendlies to get their fix until now.

The Olympics features top footballing nations battling it out albeit without some of the bigger names, primarily down to the age rule, but also because coaches of their respective clubs don’t allow them to attend.

It’s not just the Premier League. MLS attacker Jordan Morris wasn’t allowed to play for the US men’s team either.

What players have been denied permission to attend?

Due to the scheduling of the Olympics, many big players are prevented from attending as it leads to them missing crucial preparations for their respective clubs.

For example, names like Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw are currently enjoying some time off after playing for their country at Euro 2024, meaning they are not partaking in Erik ten Hag’s season preparations. Liverpool traveled to the United States, similar to Manchester United, without big names like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk as they featured in the latter stages of the European Championship.

Over at Chelsea, new boss Enzo Maresca prevented stars including Benoit Badiashile and Malo Gusto from representing Thierry Henry’s France side in Paris.

The France boss spoke out on the matter, admitting he has faced multiple issues when selecting his squad from numerous Premier League clubs.

The Mirror reported that private talks were held with Ten Hag and Alejandro Garnacho over representing La Albiceleste in Paris where it concluded that the young winger would not travel.

Instead, the former Atletico Madrid winger is currently enjoying some time off before he steps back into the fold at the Old Trafford outfit for the 2024/25 season.

Elsewhere, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta prevented William Saliba from featuring for France as he would also likely miss the opening of the Premier League season if he were to attend.

Premier League managers disrespect Olympics

The case can be made that these Premier League managers who are denying some of their players from representing their nations are disrespecting the Olympics.

Similar to other national tournaments, the Olympics come around every four years and therefore, some players may never get another opportunity to attend.

Premier League clubs tend to return for pre-season in early July before going on to play pre-season friendlies, most of the time against oppositions who are in the same position.

The argument can be made that while players attend tournaments like the Euros or Copa America in the summer, it is unfair that others are denied a similar opportunity to represent their nation.

Premier League players representing their country in Paris

The total number of Premier League players attending the Olympics is nine. These include names like Julian Alvarez (Manchester City), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Julio Enciso (Brighton), and more.

However, the Olympics infringe on the clubs more severely; the games run on until the week before the Premier League gets underway.

Meanwhile, those featured in the latter stages of tournaments this summer are given a three-week break, if the same were to apply to those featured in the Olympics, they would not be returning to training until the end of August.

Players would then miss out on crucial fixtures for their clubs in the Premier League, particularly with big fixtures like Chelsea vs Manchester City and Manchester United vs Liverpool penciled in for the early stages of the season.

Premier League clubs preparing for new season

The Premier League begins on Friday, August 16 (see the Premier League TV schedule). Understandably, managers will want the majority of their star players up and running for that date. For some, it starts even earlier. August 10, in fact, for the FA Community Shield game between Manchester City and Manchester United.

Let us know if you agree whether the Premier League managers disrespect the Olympics or not by adding a comment below.

IMAGO / Sports Press Photo.

Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium will host the encounter that is expected to have an attendance of roughly 50,000. Tickets remain available for the friendly fixture on Vivid Seats. Those as well as being able to watch it from home on ESPN+ from 08:00 PM ET.

How has preseason gone so far?

Arsenal has only played one preseason fixture thus far, drawing with Bournemouth 1-1 before beating them 5-4 on penalties. As expected, the North London side rotated their lineup heavily and gave youngsters like Karl Hein, Ayden Heaven, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Salah Oulad M’Hand and Ethan Nwaneri a place in the starting squad.

However, minutes were provided to the Gunners’ key players, including Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira, Martin Ødegaard and others.

Wholesale changes were made throughout the game as expected. The doubters of the Spanish boss will have to reserve their judgment ahead of the 2024/25 season until a little later.

The fanbase of both clubs can be quick to react to matches that have little meaning. Social media platforms will likely play host to fans of both clubs abusing one another despite the little importance the fixture has to offer.

Manchester United are a little further in their preparation for the season ahead. Erik ten Hag’s side have played two friendlies so far, losing 1-0 to Rosenborg before defeating Rangers 2-0.

Rotation key for both sides early

Similar to their opponents, the FA Cup champions have rotated heavily in the two fixtures. First-team regulars tend to play the first half before managers substitute them off at halftime for younger members of the squad. This will be particularly noticeable with so many absentees in both squads after international tournaments.

Toby Collyer is a standout member of the squad traveling to the United States. The former Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder is tipped to follow in the footsteps of the impressive Kobbie Mainoo.

The youngster began on the bench in the defeat to Rosenborg before coming on at the interval. This was the opposite case for the Rangers encounter, where he was in the starting lineup.

Collyer was swapped at the interval but did record a 100% passing accuracy against the Glasgow side. He completed 18 passes and will be expected to receive more minutes in the showdown with the Premier League runner-up.

Arsenal and Manchester United have notable absences in friendly squads

Mikel Arteta has named key players in his travelling squad before the fixture with Bournemouth on Wednesday.

Emile Smith Rowe was among those named, despite being close to a move to West London side Fulham. Arteta said: “There are things happening in the background at the moment. We decided the best thing to do was keep him away from the game.” These comments came after the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth.

As aforementioned, key figures like Ødegaard, White and Timber all traveled. Copa America and Euros stars including Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli joined after the opening friendly. It remains unclear if those who are joining the squad late will be in line to face Manchester United.

There are still notable omissions in the Red Devils’ squad for the friendlies in the United States. For example, Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Altay Bayındır, Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martínez and Facundo Pellistri will not play. Those players had extended runs of success at international tournaments this summer.

With key figures out, it paves the way for others in the squad to show their worth to the manager ahead of the opening day of the Premier League on August 16. Marcus Rashford struggled for form last season under Erik ten Hag. The Englishman will hope to rekindle his confidence and ability as Gareth Southgate left Rashford off England’s 26-man squad for the European Championship.

Other players, including Jadon Sancho and Mason Mount, hope to find their feet in these preseason fixtures. Yet, Sancho is the subject of several rumors regarding a move to French giant PSG.

New signings highlight Manchester United in the USA

The Red Devils’ Stateside supporters will get a glimpse of the club’s new signing, Leny Yoro’s arrival from Lille has excited the following of the 20-time Premier League champions. The $67 million man will feature in the clash.

The Dutch manager, Erik ten Hag, has decided against bringing new signing Joshua Zirkzee to the United States for the preseason tour due to his involvement in the European Championship this summer.

Yoro, who has already played 45 minutes for the club in the victory over Rangers, will be eager to earn a place in the starting lineup as he faces competition from other key figures in the squad.

The Gunners will then face Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon before concluding their season preparations.

The Reds will march on to face Liverpool and Real Betis in the States. Then, United opens the English competitive season in the Community Shield. Erik ten Hag’s side faces Manchester City on Aug. 10 at Wembley Stadium in London. This is a rematch of last season’s FA Cup Final.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.