Why are Arsenal in the 2023/24 Community Shield?

A busy pre-season beckons for Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta will be keen for the Gunners to head into 2023/24 with plenty of positive momentum behind them – as was the case last summer.

Optimism surrounding the north London club was justified when Arsenal headed into the World Cup break top of the Premier League table before they eventually stuttered down the stretch which allowed Manchester City to claim their third-straight league title on their way to a historic treble.

The Gunners, however, are seemingly well ahead of schedule but 2023/24 is a massive campaign considering the raised expectations.

In City, Arsenal are faced with usurping an all-time great team, but they’ll have the chance to lay down a pre-season marker when the two sides face off in the 2023 Community Shield.

The Community Shield has been described by many as a “glorified friendly”, but there’s silverware at stake and the two sides involved rarely take the contest lightly – even if it often doesn’t indicate how the upcoming campaign will play out (the 2022 contest being a prime example).

The game involves the previous season’s Premier League and FA Cup winners going head-to-head in a one-off bout before the league season gets underway. However, as City won both competitions last time out, Arsenal will face off against the Citizens because they finished second in the league.

If Man Utd had beaten City in the 2023 FA Cup final, they would’ve faced Pep Guardiola’s side in the 2023/24 curtain-raiser.

The 2023 Community Shield between Arsenal and City will take place at Wembley on Saturday 6 August with kick-off now scheduled for 16:00 (BST).

The contest will start earlier than usual this year following considerations from the FA regarding potential transport issues for City fans returning to Manchester after the match.

Arsenal are the joint-second most successful team in this one-off encounter and have lifted the shield 16 times, along with Liverpool. Although, the Reds have shared the title four times more than the Gunners have.

Man Utd are the most successful Community Shield side, winning the contest 21 times – including four shared titles.

The Gunners’ recent record is very impressive. They haven’t lost a Community Shield game since 2005 and have won their last four. Arsenal faced City in the 2014 contest and battered the Manchester outfit 3-0. Their two most recent triumphs were both on penalties.

Arsenal’s Community Shield results