Manchester City and Arsenal face each other in the Community Shield at Cardiff's Principality Stadium today, with the match moved from Wembley Stadium due to a scheduling clash. The traditional curtain-raiser pits the FA Cup holders against the Premier League champions for the first silverware of the season.
Why the venue changed
The decision to move the match away from Wembley was made because the national stadium is hosting The Weeknd's 'After Hours til Dawn' tour this weekend, meaning an alternative location was needed. This year's game marks a rare departure from the usual Wembley setting.
During Pep Guardiola's time in charge of City, the Blues visited Wembley 24 times. Their last trip to the stadium was in May when the Blues beat Chelsea 1-0 to book their spot in the Community Shield.
City's previous visit to Cardiff
Before today, City had only played once at the iconic Cardiff venue. That came in August 2003 when the Blues faced Cymru Premier side The New Saints (TNS) in UEFA Cup qualifying, at what was then known as the Millennium Stadium. Holding a 5-0 advantage from the first leg, City won the return game 2-0 thanks to goals from Christian Negouai and Darren Huckerby.
Ahead of the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, MEN Sport spoke to a number of City fans who had started to dread trips to Wembley Stadium. While the novelty may have worn off with Wembley, the Principality Stadium provides a fresh trip for the travelling Blues fans - albeit an equally long one.
Maresca on the importance of the fixture
Enzo Maresca will hope that is a good omen ahead of the clash with Arsenal. While some see this game as a glorified friendly, Maresca was keen to emphasise the importance of the fixture.
"For me, personally, it is a trophy," Maresca said in his pre-match press conference. "When trophies and a final are there, you always try to win the game. So, no friendly game at all. It’s a trophy that we are going to try our best to win, to win the first trophy."
