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Maresca vows to treat Community Shield as final as Man City face Arsenal
16th August, 2026 07:52 AM
Manager Enzo Maresca has made it clear that Manchester City are treating Sunday’s August 16, 2026 FA Community Shield showdown with Arsenal as a genuine trophy contest rather than another pre-season exercise.
The Italian manager will take charge of City in his first competitive match at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with the game scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm UK time (7:00 pm in Kenya).
With Arsenal entering the fixture as Premier League champions and City as the FA Cup winners, the encounter traditionally serves as the curtain-raiser for the new season.
However, Maresca does not regard it simply as preparation for City’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth next weekend.
Opportunity for silverware
Instead, the new boss sees the match as an immediate opportunity to begin his City reign with silverware.
“For me personally it is a trophy,” Maresca explained in his pre-match press conference.
“When trophies and a final are there, you always try to win the game.
“So, no friendly game at all. It’s a trophy that we are going to try our best to win, to win the first trophy,” he said.
Maresca also acknowledged Arsenal’s impressive record in recent seasons and praised the work of manager Mikel Arteta.
City narrowly missed out on the Premier League title last season, although they defeated Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final and avoided defeat in both league meetings between the sides.
Reducing Arsenal’s gap
Despite recognising Arsenal’s strength, Maresca believes City can reduce the gap and challenge strongly for honours during the 2026/27 campaign.
He added: “Arsenal have shown in the last two, three, four, five years that they have been always there. It’s a fantastic team, well managed by Mikel [Arteta].
“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 are going to try to close the gap and try to compete again.”
The Community Shield therefore represents more than a final warm-up for City. It is Maresca’s first competitive assignment at the helm and an early chance for his side to set the tone for what promises to be a demanding season.
City will face Arsenal at the Principality Stadium on Sunday, August 16, before beginning their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth the following weekend.
