Local rivals Manchester City and Manchester United will be in action in the official curtain raiser of English soccer, the FA Community Shield, this weekend. Read on to get all the key information about the clash between last season’s Premier League champions City and FA Cup winners United.
FA Community Shield: Manchester City vs Manchester United – Date, Time & Where To Watch In US
The first game of the 2024-25 calendar in England, the FA Community Shield, will be held at the iconic Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon, August 10. The game will kick off at 3 PM UK time / 10 AM ET / 7 AM PT.
Soccer aficionados in the United States can catch the game either on ESPN+ or the ESPN app on their mobile devices.
Manchester City vs Manchester United: Preview
Pre-Season Form
Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City jet off to the United States for their 2024-25 pre-season tour. They kicked off their tour with a shock 4-3 defeat to Scottish giants Celtic on July 23. Four days later, another narrow defeat followed, with them losing 3-2 to AC Milan in their second pre-season game in the States. On July 30, City held Barcelona to a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation time, but the Blaugrana came out on top in the shootout, notching a 4-2 win.
The Cityzens’ only win of the tour came against Chelsea on August 3. Pep Guardiola‘s side claimed a 4-2 victory over Enzo Maresca’s men at the Ohio Stadium.
Manchester United, on the other hand, started their pre-season with a clash against Rosenborg in Norway on July 15. The underdogs punched above their weight and bagged a 1-0 victory over the English side. Five days later, United traveled to Murrayfield Stadium for a clash with Rangers. Ten Hag’s side lived up to expectations in that game and secured a 2-0 win.
The Red Devils played their remaining three pre-season matches in the United States. They beat Arsenal and Real Betis in consecutive games before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Head-to-Head
The two Manchester clubs have met 193 times over the years. United has won 79 games, City 61, while 53 games have ended all square.
Manchester United, of course, came out on top in the last Manchester derby, with the Red Devils claiming a 2-1 win in the FA Cup final.
Team News
EURO 2024 finalists Phil Foden, John Stones, Kyle Walker, and Rodri will miss the tie as they have not yet returned from their summer vacation. Julian Alvarez, who is on the brink of joining Atletico Madrid, is also expected to miss out.
Manchester United, meanwhile, will be without new signing Leny Yoro and chief striker Rasmus Hojlund, with both nursing pre-season injuries. Harry Maguire is also a doubt.
Manchester City vs Manchester United: Prediction
Having won 21 FA Community Shields, Manchester United has the historical edge over six-time winners Manchester City. But taking recent exploits into account, we cannot help but rule in City’s favor.
We are backing Man City to claim a 3-1 win over Man Utd in the FA Community Shield.
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