Bruno Guimaraes made his Arsenal debut against Como on Wednesday, coming on for Ethan Nwaneri at halftime. Now he’s set to see an increased role, and this weekend, he should be in the starting lineup for the annual Community Shield clash.
Sunday marks the first time, in a long while that we’ll have an Arsenal-Manchester City matchup that isn’t Mikel Arteta vs. Pep Guardiola.
FA Community Shield 2026
Sun. August 16, 3pm UK, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes Streaming: ESPN+
Man City Preview Material: Predicted XI Team News
Arsenal Preview Material: Predicted XI Team News
It’s not master vs student this time around, as Enzo Maresca replaced Pep.
That said, it is still a trophy match, so that brings a lot of juice to this clash. And Manchester City versus Arsenal, in the 2020s, has always been a significant, exciting affair.
So we expect Arteta to go with a strong team in Cardiff on Sunday. This match was moved to Wales, due to a scheduling conflict at Wembley Stadium in London.
Arsenal FC Predicted Starting XI vs Manchester City (Community Shield)
David Raya; Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori; Bruno Guimaraes, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Max Dowman, Martin Odegaard, Christos Tzolis; Kai Havertz
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.