Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres has firmly rejected the notion that Sunday's Community Shield match against Manchester City should be treated as a friendly. The Gunners face City at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, aiming to secure the season's first trophy.
The two sides battled for the Premier League title last season, with Arsenal emerging victorious. However, City defeated Mikel Arteta's team in the Carabao Cup final.
Gyokeres's Stance
After Arsenal's 3-2 friendly loss to Borussia Dortmund, Gyokeres was questioned about the upcoming City game. When a reporter mentioned that some fans and pundits view the Community Shield as merely a pre-season fixture, the striker responded firmly.
"Against City? As a friendly? I don't know what other people think but we want to win that game of course, for sure," Gyokeres affirmed. "When you win titles, you get confidence, you get a boost with everything that comes with it. So, yeah, it's only positive things with that. We want to make sure that we're not only on top of that but that we're ready for the new season."
Arteta's Squad Concerns
Arsenal have lost their last two friendlies and face Como on Wednesday to end pre-season. Arteta, who hasn't had his full squad available, addressed whether players involved in the latter World Cup stages might feature on Sunday.
"Yes, because we have very different groups within the same time that they are coming back," Arteta explained. "Why? Because some of them they've done more, some others they've done less, some more than they did and almost participated in the World Cup in terms of minutes. So they are all very different stages. I want to see as well the way they have looked after themselves, what they said they did and actually what they did and how they look. But I'm sure that will be all positive surprises."
Upcoming Fixtures
Arsenal's Premier League title defence begins at home to newly promoted Coventry on Friday, August 21, followed by a trip to Aston Villa.
