The FA Cup winners have taken the last three Community Shields, but Chelsea will be hoping to break that trend come Sunday when they take on Arsenal at Wembley.
The Premier League champions will likely role out their best XI with the aim of picking up the second piece of silverware of the Antonio Conte era and prevent the Gunners from winning their third Community Shield in four years.
The Blues will be without Eden Hazard due to injury while Arsenal are unlikely to bring star forward Alexis Sanchez back into the side as the Chilean just returned to training following the Confederations Cup.
The Gunners will be allowed to play Laurent Koscielny despite his domestic ban stemming from his straight red card in the final Premier League match against Everton. The FA have labeled the Community Shield a friendly, which allows Arsene Wenger to call upon his compatriot for Sunday’s match but not the first two league matches.
Both sides are likely to make a litany of substitutions as the match goes on, but should start the game with essentially a full-strength XI.
Both teams are expected to play a 3-4-3 this season and will be a very intriguing matchup on Sunday.
Here’s how we think Arsenal will line up to face their London rivals…
GK: Petr Cech
The Chelsea legend is still the clearcut choice in goal for Arsene Wenger as the Gunners manager hasn’t brought in any more competition for the Czech keeper and David Ospina is definitely the No. 2.
Arsenal has won only two of five meetings with Chelsea since Cech joined two seasons ago and will be trying to better that record on Sunday.
The 35-year old is past his glory days and this season will decide whether he is good enough to carry on as the Gunners’ No. 1, or else the club and keeper will both likely need to move on.
CB: Per Mertesacker
The 32-year old club captain has a lot to prove this season after playing only twice last term due to injuries and the Community Shield will be a great test of his fitness and ability to bounce back from a tough season.
He will be looking to prove he hasn’t lost a step and show Gunners fans that he is ready to lead the club back into the Champions League. Mertesacker’s experience and leadership will be a major key if Arsenal manage to win Arsene Wenger’s seventh Community Shield.
CB: Rob Holding
The 21-year old started his Gunners career slowly after making the move from Championship side Bolton Wanderers but became a key part of Arsene Wenger’s squad in the final few months of the season, playing the full 90 minutes in the club’s FA Cup victory over Chelsea.
The Englishman is likely to feature often for Arsenal this season and has essentially pushed Gabriel out of the team, making it difficult to find time for one of last summer’s big signings – Shkodran Mustafi.
CB: Laurent Koscielny
The Frenchman is almost guaranteed to start after being cleared by the FA to play in this glorified friendly.
Koscielny’s absence was expected to eliminate any chance of the Gunners winning the FA Cup, and while that clearly didn’t play a factor, Arsenal are definitively a better team with him in the side. A strong performance from their best centre-
back will be key to the club’s hopes of winning the Community Shield.
LWB: Sead Kolasinac
The Bosnian has impressed for the Gunners throughout pre-season since his free transfer from Schalke earlier in the summer.
As Arsene Wenger seemingly continues to opt for a 3-5-2/3-4-3 formation, Kolasinac fits perfectly in to Arsenal’s system and could prove to be a solid player for the Gunners this season.
RWB: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Even though it feels as if he has been around forever, the Englishman is still just 23-years-old and beginning to thrive as a wing-back in Wenger’s new system.
Chamberlain was constantly moving in and out of the starting lineup last season and still managed to have a Gunners career best six goals and 11 assists.
If Chamberlain can continue to excel as a wingback, Arsene Wenger can finally start to get the most out of a player he purchased over six seasons ago.
CM: Mesut Özil
The German playmaker was linked with a move away this summer as he only has one year left to run on his contract, but his exit rumours faded some time ago and Özil appears set to continue with Arsenal this season.
The 28-year-old scored a career best 12 goals last season and will be the club’s leading playmaker on Sunday.
Özil is a key figure in all of Wenger’s offensive plans and the Frenchman’s request that he shoot more worked out excellently last season. In the midst of his prime, Özil may better that goals total this season if he continues to heed Wenger’s words.
CM: Granit Xhaka
Last summer’s big signing, the Swiss midfielder quickly developed a reputation in England for his cracking goals and ability to pick up a booking.
He was booked 12 times and saw red twice last season in only 46 appearances and the 24-year old is likely the betting favourite to pick up the first on Sunday.
Xhaka is a very good player who needs to learn how to avoid going in the referee’s book and this season his role with the Gunners will certainly grow. He is still relatively young and has a lot of room to improve. His second season in the Premier League will be a better example of his talent and Sunday will be the first big test for him.
FWD: Olivier Giroud
Another Gunners star who was linked with a move away earlier in the summer, the big Frenchman looks set to stay and play another key role off the bench for Arsene Wenger.
With Alexis unlikely to start, Giroud takes his place and will look to build off his two pre-season goals.
After the club set their transfer record by bringing in Alexandre Lacazette, this season is huge for Giroud’s future at the Emirates Stadium.
Sunday’s Community Shield will be a great opportunity for the 30-year old to show Arsene Wenger that he deserves more than a super sub role.
FWD: Alexandre Lacazette
The club’s record signing will make his Wembley debut on Sunday and is looking to set the Premier League alight ahead of next’s summer’s World Cup. France has an extremely deep and talented pool of forwards to choose from, so Lacazette will surely be aiming for a big first campaign with the Gunners.
The 26-year old has scored twice in pre-season and has shown good chemistry with his new teammates.
Lacazette and Arsenal’s success this season will be tightly intertwined and Sunday will be a great stage for the Frenchman to show England what he is capable of.
FWD: Theo Walcott
Walcott has been in-and-out of Arsene Wenger’s starting XI throughout his career but will be looking to firmly establish himself as a starter ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
The 28-year-old’s pace has always set him apart in the Premier League and with improved finishing, Walcott could be set for an even better season this year.
Arsenal are going to need improved form across the board if they are to get back into the Champions League this season, and Walcott will be surely hoping to be a part of that improvement.