Arteta: Arsenal 'hungry' to land Community Shield as champions brace for City showdown

Arsenal finally ended their 22-year wait for a Premier League title last season, finishing seven points clear of Manchester City — and Mikel Arteta has no doubt his players are desperate to pile on more silverware this term.

The Gunners meet Pep Guardiola's successors at the Principality Stadium in the Community Shield, a curtain-raiser teed up after City lifted the FA Cup. Arteta, who won both of his Community Shield appearances as a player (2014, 2015) and both of his managerial outings in the fixture (2020, 2023, each on penalties), is targeting another triumph and insists his squad are on the same page.

'It is a trophy that we can have'

"It is a trophy, it is a trophy that we can have," Arteta said. "We won [a trophy] last year through the Premier League. You can tell how hungry the players are, which is a good sign.

"That is what we are going to try to do. We have a really strong opponent but we are really excited to start this season and to start with the first trophy as well.

"I sense really good energy around the players, the international players are back and we can't wait to start competing."

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last eight matches in all competitions, winning six and drawing two — though one draw ended in a penalty-shootout loss to PSG. They had lost four of their six games prior to that run, two of those defeats coming against City.

Arteta hails squad's fitness and appetite

Asked whether the match offers a marker of where Arsenal stand ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, Arteta said: "Well that is what we want, we are adapting to the circumstances and the preparation that we had. I said it the other day, I love the way the players have come back, most of them earlier than expected, really fit, we have done all the testing and they all seem in great condition.

"The moment they start to look at each other, I said look at the squad that we have and what we are building, it is a lot of excitement around them."

Arteta reaffirmed that Arsenal remain in the market to strengthen their squad over the coming weeks.

Maresca: City must close the gap

New City boss Enzo Maresca acknowledged the scale of the task facing his side. "Arsenal have shown in the last two or three or four, five years, that they are always there," he said. "It is a fantastic team from Mikel. Last year, they won the Premier League, they showed how good they are in this moment. But at the same time, we are City and we're going to try to close the gap and compete."

Players to watch

Arsenal — Christos Tzolis

Tzolis has been Arsenal's big attacking signing so far, though they are still seemingly in the market for more reinforcements in that area. If the Greek turns on the style, Arteta's priorities may shift elsewhere; he has looked bright in pre-season.

Manchester City — Elliot Anderson

With doubts remaining over Rodri's future at City, this is Anderson's first chance to show he can fill a potential void left by the Spain star. Anderson led the Premier League last season for possession won (306), ground duels (430) and ground duels won (231), and his work on the ball will be even more important as he aims to step up.

Form and history point to a tight contest

City have lost just one of their last 12 games in all competitions (W9 D2), though that was their final game of 2025-26 against Aston Villa. Arsenal have won all three of their Community Shield meetings with City, beating them 4-0 in 1934, 3-0 in 2014 and 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 2023. The Gunners have also won all three matches when reigning as Premier League champions (1998, 2002, 2004), and have won each of their last five Community Shields overall.

Opta's win probability gives Arsenal a 44.8% chance of victory, with a draw at 25.5% and City at 29.7% — with the model leaning towards an Arsenal win.