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The 2024/25 campaign officially kicks off among English top-flight teams with the Community Shield at Wembley – and it’s the same two teams meeting as were on that pitch at the end of May for the FA Cup final.
Manchester United triumphed in that game, quite possibly salvaging Erik ten Hag’s job in the process, and they’ll once more face a derby encounter with a trophy as the prize, against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.
Silverware might be on the line but this is essentially a glorified friendly, baring little relevance to the season ahead – yet it will be an important part of both teams’ preparations regardless, as league action is just one week away. United in particular are struggling with injuries at the start of the season, while Man City haven’t had all their Euro 2024 and Copa America stars back for long, so additional practice time on the pitch is of the essence.
Follow the Community Shield below with all the build-up and match action as Man City face Man United:
Man United vs Man City preview
Since May, United have signed the promising pair of Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro, though their preseason tour of the US was missing several of their key players and they duly lost to both Arsenal and Liverpool. Withsome early injuries affecting the team, it’ll be interesting to see how they get on after a few seasons with slow starts in the ten Hag era.
The Community Shield result rarely tells fans a lot about the upcoming season, but there’s more at stake than usual in the derby and Pep Guardiola will want to lay down a marker as he looks for an unprecedented fifth title in a row in what could be his last season in charge.
Chris Wilson10 August 2024 10:10
Man City v Man United – latest updates
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of today’s Community Shield match.
The traditional curtain-raiser for the Premier League season promises to throw up an interesting Manchester derby, but with many of the most important players missing from both sides, who knows what kind of match we’ll see as both teams line up for an early rematch of last season’s FA Cup final.
Chris Wilson10 August 2024 10:00