Manchester City vs Man Utd. Preview Community Shield Preview: Manchester City - Manchester United

FA COMMUNITY SHIELD

Manchester City

0 vs 0

Man Utd.

Pre Match
August 7, 2011 9:30 AM EDT
Wembley Stadium — London

From the current capital of English soccer, last season's FA Cup winner and Premier League champion renew their battle local for supremacy in this Wembley showdown.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

Manchester City (4-3-3): Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Milner, De Jong, Toure Yaya; Silva, Balotelli, Aguero.

Carlos Tevez will take no part in the traditional curtain-raiser, as he has been given an extended leave by the Eastlands club and is not expected to return to training until Monday.

But one man's loss could be another's gain, as record signing Sergio Aguero may take the place of his international team-mate to make his competitive debut for City.

Manchester United (4-4-2): De Gea; Jones, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Young, Jones, Anderson, Nani; Rooney, Berbatov.

Michael Carrick is nursing a tight Achilles, while defender Rafael sustained a minor injury in the recent pre-season friendly victory over Barcelona.

Javier Hernandez sustained a concussion during the Red Devils' tour of the USA, and will not take any part in the upcoming game against his club's local rival at Wembley.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Manchester United is the most successful team in the history of the FA Community Shield - previously known as the FA Charity Shield – and has won it a record 18 times.

• In the past 10 years, the Red Devils have made their way to this match on six occasions, with the seventh set to take place on Sunday in the clash against arch-rival Manchester City.

• The most number of goals scored in one game in the Shield is 12, when United beat Swindon Town 8-4 back in 1911.

• Ryan Giggs holds the record for the most number of appearances in the annual game between the FA Cup holder and the Premier League winner, with 13 such encounters to his name. On eight occasions, the Old Trafford club ended up with a positive result.

• Manchester City last played in the Shield in 1973, losing 1-0 to Burnley at the time, with defender Colin Waldron having the honor of scoring the only goal in the game.

• The last time these two sides met in this fixture was back in 1956, when a solitary goal from Red Devils legend Dennis Viollet settled matters.

• From 1997 to 2004, there appeared to be a 'curse' surrounding the Community Shield, whereby no team that won the season opener went on to win the league. But that has changed in recent years, as the winner of the Shield has gone on to win the Premier League in five of the last six seasons.