The 2018/19 Premier League season is just around the corner and the English top-flight season will kick things off with the FA Community Shield clash between Chelsea and Manchester City.
City broke numerous records, including becoming the first Premier League team to reach 100 points, to win the 2017//18 season, while Chelsea didn’t let internal conflicts derail their FA Cup victory.
Here is all you need to know about the Community Shield 2018 clash between Chelsea and Man City including when it is and what the managers are saying.
What time is kick-off (CET)
Kick off: 16:00
Date: Sun, 05-Aug-18
Squads, Team News & Probable Lineups
Chelsea: Eden Hazard, N'Golo Kanté, Olivier Giroud and Thibaut Courtois are not due to play on Sunday after being given an extend lay-off following their exploits at the 2018 World Cup.
New Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has benefitted from having several senior players available during pre-season and should field a strong line-up on Sunday.
Willian did not report back to training on time and may not be fit enough to feature at Wembley.
Man City: Pep Guardiola has most of his World Cup players back in training now, with exception to Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne, who won't feature here.
Danilo and Eliaquim Mangala are both sidelined for the Premier League champions, while Phil Foden and Aymeric Laporte are doubts.
Club record signing Riyad Mahrez suffered an ankle injury in Manchester City's final pre-season match but has since returned to training, as has Phil Foden, who was struggling with a hamstring problem.
Luke Bolton and Cameron Humphreys have been used at right-back in pre-season and one could get the nod if Walker is not deeemd fit enough to start.
Eric Garcia is another youngster that will hope to start after enjoying a fantastic tour, even earning praise from Guardiola on more than one occasion.
Probable Lineups:
Potential Chelsea XI: Caballero, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Rudiger, Alonso, Jorginho, Fabregas, Barkley, Pedro, Morata, Hudson-Odoi.
Potential Man City XI: Bravo, Bolton, Garcia, Laporte, Zinchenko, Silva, Fernandinho, Foden, Mahrez, Aguero, Sane.
Match Preview
The Blues will be seeking redemption this year after losing last year's Community Shield to Arsenal on penalties after drawing 1-1 in regular time.
Sarri will be expected to deliver for the Blues from the get-go, starting with a victory in the Community Shield over Guardiola. He will be tasked with a top-four finish and at least one piece of silverware at the very minimum in his debut season – after former boss Antonio Conte was dismissed from his post after two seasons in charge despite winning the league in his first year at Stamford Bridge.
Sunday's fixture will also be an opportunity for the Chelsea team to implement Sarri's attack-minded philosophy – named 'Sarriball' – before the start of the new Premier League season proper, and they will be relying on Jorginho to further adapt the side to the style.
The futures of Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois are still in question amid interest from Real Madrid for the Belgian duo, while Chelsea may still be expecting a few new arrivals come the Thursday transfer window deadline.
Chelsea lost last year's Community Shield to Arsenal on penalties after drawing 1-1 in normal time, a win that would have given them a fifth win in English football's traditional curtain-raiser—and one more than City have managed.
The Community Shield could also potentially be an opportunity for £60m summer arrival Mahrez to make his competitive debut for the side, despite concerns that he would miss the match due to sustaining an injury during the pre-season friendly to Bayern Munich.
What are the managers saying?
‘First of all, I am looking forward to play at Wembley. It's my first time,’ said Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri in the pre-match press conference.
‘The match will be very difficult for us. I want to win. It's very important to have immediately a trophy.
‘At this moment it's very important to have a performance. We have to improve.’
Sarri also addressed the issue of having key players including Eden Hazard resting following the 2018 World Cup.
‘City's problems are near to our problems. I think they had 15 players in the World Cup. But the difference is the past work. They have had two years so it's different with our situation.’
When asked about the squad for Sunday’s match, Sarri said: 'I don't know. I want to see the last training. The starting 11 may be near the last match, but maybe something different can happen.’
Man City boss Pep Guardiola confirmed that Mahrez will feature in the game on Sunday.
However, he said that Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne and England winger Raheem Sterling won’t return to the club until next week.
‘Mahrez is much better, he is training and I think he is going to play on Sunday,’ said Guardiola.
‘De Bruyne and Sterling have not come back yet. I would prefer them to be here but for Sarri it is the same.
‘We are going to play the guys who are in better condition.’