Arsenal will be without William Saliba and Jurrien Timber for Sunday's Community Shield against Manchester City, while City have doubts over Rodri, Jack Grealish, and Savinho. The match at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium marks Enzo Maresca's first competitive game as City head coach, following Pep Guardiola's departure.
Team news and injury concerns
Saliba has been sidelined after his World Cup ended early due to a long-term back injury. Timber has been nursing a groin issue since March, which kept him out of the World Cup, though he returned for the final stages of Arsenal's title-winning season. Mikel Arteta said of Timber: "Jurrien is progressing really well, he's on the pitch. We are ramping up now certain actions and especially the volume and the load. And I think he's in a good trajectory but there's still a few weeks to go."
Arteta added: "I don't know [if he will be back before international break], we have to wait and see. He needs to start to train with the group in the next week or so hopefully and then see how he progresses from there."
City's selection issues
Rodri returned to England this week after Spain's World Cup exploits, but he underwent minor back surgery and will not feature. Jack Grealish, who spent last season on loan at Everton, is recovering from a foot injury and is unlikely to play. Ryan McAidoo has featured in pre-season but could be restricted by a problem. Savinho is also a doubt due to illness, with Maresca saying: "He was not part of the session [on Thursday], he was a little bit ill. We'll see today, the session is in the afternoon, so we'll see how he is today and we'll decide [whether he is available vs Arsenal]."
Context and expectations
Arsenal go into the match as Premier League champions, having ended a 20-year wait for the title. City are seeking a repeat of May's FA Cup final win over Chelsea. The World Cup in North America has disrupted pre-season preparations across Europe. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are expected to be involved for Arsenal. The match is the curtain-raiser for the Premier League season.
