We turn our attention to Saturday’s English Community Shield clash at Wembley Stadium, offering a preview and prediction for Manchester City vs Manchester United. Who will come out on top in this curtain-raiser to the 2024-25 English season?
When is Manchester United vs Manchester City?
Manchester City and Manchester United return to Wembley to face off again in the Community Shield Final on Saturday, 8 August 2024.
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Manchester City vs Manchester United: Preview
And so, the stage is set once more.
Just 11 weeks after their FA Cup final showdown, Manchester City and Manchester United return to Wembley to face off again in the Community Shield, with bragging rights, momentum, and a coveted trophy on the line.
This will mark the eighth instance in Community Shield history where the match is a rematch of the previous season’s FA Cup final. Previous repeats include the 1957 (Man Utd vs Aston Villa), 1977 (Man Utd vs Liverpool), 1985 (Everton vs Man Utd), 1986 (Everton vs Liverpool), 1988 (Liverpool vs Wimbledon), 2007 (Man Utd vs Chelsea), and 2017 (Arsenal vs Chelsea) finals.
Notably, in the last eight occasions where the Community Shield featured the previous season’s champions and FA Cup winners, the FA Cup winners have lifted the Shield seven times. The exception was Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea in 2018, a stat that could bode well for Erik ten Hag’s side following their 2-1 triumph over City in May.
City are no strangers to the Community Shield, making their fourth consecutive appearance in the competition. However, they have fallen short in each of the last three, losing to Leicester City (2021), Liverpool (2022), and Arsenal (2023). The only team to lose the Community Shield four years in a row is Manchester United (1998 to 2001).
Historically, Manchester United have dominated the Community Shield. Including shared titles, they have won the Shield more times than any other club (21), and have emerged victorious in their last four appearances. This will be their first appearance since a 2-1 win over Leicester in 2016 during José Mourinho’s debut match in charge.
As for standout players, Erling Haaland has shown formidable form in pre-season, recently scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Chelsea in Columbus. Haaland has a strong record against United, contributing to nine goals in six matches against them, with six goals and three assists. However, he has yet to make a goal contribution in four appearances at Wembley.
Phil Foden is another player to watch in the Manchester derby, having contributed to seven goals in his last six matches against United, scoring six and assisting one. Only against Brighton (8) has Foden scored more career goals than against United (6).
United, too, have their derby specialists. Marcus Rashford, despite a challenging season, has netted six goals against Manchester City across all competitions. He has only scored more against Leicester (8) and Liverpool (7).
Teenager Kobbie Mainoo, who became a regular starter for England at Euro 2024, will be aiming to further cement his legacy. After scoring against City in the FA Cup final, he has the chance to become just the second teenager to score in both the FA Cup final and the subsequent Community Shield, following in the footsteps of Nicolas Anelka for Arsenal in 1998.
Manchester City vs Manchester United: Head-to-Head
This will mark the third time Manchester City and Manchester United have faced each other in the Community Shield, with United having won both prior encounters, 1-0 in 1956 and 3-2 in 2011.
City triumphed in both Premier League meetings last season, securing a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford and a 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.
However, United claimed the upper hand in May’s FA Cup final, with goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo sealing the trophy for Ten Hag’s side, despite a late response from Jérémy Doku.
Manchester City vs Manchester United: Recent Form
As this is the first competitive match for both teams since May, there isn’t much to assess in terms of current form.
However, their most recent encounter was in the FA Cup final at Wembley, where United secured a 2-1 victory.
In pre-season, both teams had mixed results. Man City suffered defeats to Celtic and Milan, drew with Barcelona, and managed a win against Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Man Utd lost to Rosenborg, Arsenal, and Liverpool, but claimed victories over Rangers and Real Betis.
Manchester City vs Manchester United: Prediction
Manchester City are expected to come out on top in the 2024 English Community Shield on Saturday.
Manchester City vs Manchester United: Predicted Lineups
Manchester City Predicted Lineup
- Goalkeeper: Stefan Ortega
- Defenders: Manuel Akanji, Rúben Dias, Nathan Aké, Josko Gvardiol
- Midfielders: Mateo Kovacic, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva
- Forwards: Oscar Bobb, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland
Manchester United Predicted Lineup
- Goalkeeper: André Onana
- Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martínez, Victor Lindelöf, Luke Shaw
- Midfielders: Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes
- Forwards: Amad Diallo, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford
