Arsenal - Manchester City. On the eve

In the first English football match of the new season, Premier League champion Arsenal and FA Cup winner Manchester City will meet on the field. For both teams, the Super Bowl will be not only an opportunity to immediately replenish the collection of trophies, but also the first serious test of readiness for the new season. In addition, the confrontation between the two students of Pep Guardiola will take place at the Principality Stadium in Wales, and not at the traditional Wembley. ARSENAL - MANCHESTER CITY SUNDAY 16 AUGUST 17:00 ▪️ PRINCIPALITY STADIUM, CARDIFF ▪️ HEAD REFEREE - SAM BARROTT ▪️ LIVE ON SETANTA SPORTS Arsenal go into the match as reigning English champions and Champions League finalists - Mikel Arteta's side had a strong last season and are now looking to start their title defense with a new trophy. At the same time, the pre-season training was not ideal: after victories over MK Dons and Girona, the Londoners lost to Betis and Borussia Dortmund, and in the last control game they played with Como 1:1. However, even at this pace, the team has shown character more than once. Particular attention is paid to the renewed Arsenal midfield line. Bruno Guimaraes could make his debut in the starting line-up after appearing on the pitch against Como, while substitute Christos Tsolis has shown himself very well in pre-season sparring. However, due to injuries, the team will have to do without William Salib and Jurrien Timber, which is a serious blow to the defense of the Gunners. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have chances to be included in the squad after a long lay-off, but their readiness to start from the opening minutes is questionable due to lack of physical fitness after an intense last season. For Manchester City, this match opens a new era. After a long spell under the legendary Pep Guardiola, his protégé Enzo Maresca took over and the Super Cup will be the Italian mentor's first official test in charge of City. The pre-season results give reason for optimism: after a draw with Inter, the team won two consecutive 3-1 victories over the K-League all-stars and Atletico Madrid. Omar Marmush scored a double in the last game. City is also not suitable for the match in an optimal composition. Rodri continues his recovery from back surgery and is generally looking towards a move to Barcelona, ​​while Erling Holland only returned to training ahead of the start of the season and is likely to start the match on the bench. At the same time, Phil Foden, Antoine Semenho and Omar Marmouche have enough game practice to pose serious problems to the opposition's suboptimal defence. In addition, the last face-to-face meeting between the teams ended in a 2-1 victory for Manchester City, and in the six previous matches, City lost to Arsenal only once. Even despite the status of a friendly, in essence, the opening match of the season, expectations from this meeting are traditionally high. Arsenal will be out to prove that their title status was just the start of an era of dominance, while Manchester City will look to show immediately that a rebuilding and rejuvenated Maresca side are ready to continue their challenge at the top of English football. In recent years, the eye history has been on the side of Manchester City, but in the Super Cup, Arsenal beat City twice - in particular, in 2023, in a penalty shootout. So another interesting match awaits us in Cardiff, where winning the first trophy of the new campaign will be a valuable bonus. According to bookmakers, Mikel Arteta's men have a slightly better chance of success today, but overall we see parity. Thus, the odds for Arsenal's victory in regular time are 2.60, while Manchester City's potential success is estimated at 2.71. The probability of a draw is represented by a coefficient of 3.50. The triumph of the "gunners" as a whole is estimated at 1.85, and the "townsmen" at 1.92. 📋 GUIDELINES ARSENAL: Raya - White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Incapier - Bruno G., Lewis-Skelly - Madueke, Edegore, Tsolis - Havertz MANCHESTER CITY : Donnarumma - Nunes, Dias, Guardiol, Ait-Nuri - Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez - Savinho, Foden, Semenho - Marmus ⚔️ PERSONAL MEETINGS 📊 CURRENT FORM prediction 1:1 (Man City on pen.)