Arsenal vs Manchester City: Maresca Targets Champions as Arteta Demands Trophy-Hungry Arsenal

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has made his ambitions clear ahead of Sunday's Community Shield clash with Arsenal, declaring that his side must “close the gap” on the Premier League champions. City finished seven points behind Arsenal last season, and Maresca sees the Wembley-style curtain-raiser in Cardiff as the first opportunity to show that his team can challenge for major honours.

Maresca wants silverware from the start

For Maresca, the Community Shield is more than a pre-season fixture. The new Manchester City boss insists that a trophy is at stake and therefore expects his players to approach the game with the mentality of a final.

Arsenal have dominated their previous Community Shield meetings with City, winning all three. But Maresca believes his team must now begin turning that historical advantage around as he prepares for his first competitive meeting with Mikel Arteta.

“We are City, we want to close the gap,” Maresca said, while praising Arsenal's consistency under Arteta. He also stressed the importance of maintaining the right mentality after a positive pre-season.

Arteta sees a new challenge under Maresca

Arteta, meanwhile, has made it clear that Arsenal are determined to begin the new campaign with another piece of silverware. The Arsenal manager believes his squad is showing the hunger required to compete at the highest level.

Arteta also offered strong praise for Maresca, describing his former colleague as being “as good as” Pep Guardiola while acknowledging that the new City manager will bring a different approach to the club.

“The best version of Arsenal has to be on Sunday,” Arteta said. “That's the intention.”

The Arsenal boss confirmed that Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi are available despite not featuring during pre-season. Only Jurrien Timber and William Saliba remain unavailable through injury.

Haaland fitness and Foden opportunity

Manchester City also have important selection questions to resolve. Erling Haaland is fit after recovering from a minor issue around his heel, although Maresca indicated that some players have only recently returned from their summer break.

That could open the door for Phil Foden, who is expected to begin his comeback after a summer without international commitments. Foden could have an important opportunity to establish himself in the No 10 role under Maresca.

City's attacking options also include Omar Marmoush, who scored twice in the recent 3-1 pre-season victory over Atletico Madrid.

Arsenal's new signings in the spotlight

Arsenal are also expected to use the Community Shield to assess several new faces. Bruno Guimaraes, who made his debut against Como, could be given a prominent role in midfield.

Other players attracting attention include Christos Tzolis, Max Dowman and the versatile defensive options of Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie. Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard will be looking to make an early impression after an inconsistent campaign last season.

With the Premier League season just days away, the Community Shield represents an early test of two teams with very different ambitions: Arsenal want to reinforce their position at the top, while City and Maresca are determined to close the distance.