Whether you see this Community Shield clash between Arsenal and Chelsea as just another but maybe slightly more important pre-season game or as an indicator of how the respective sides are set and ready to go for the new Premier League season, we all want our team to win and this London rivalry makes it all the more important that Arsenal play well and lift the trophy at the end.
Both sides have a few key players out with injury but both of us have big squads full of quality, so it really could go either way and a lot depends on just how well the teams perform on the day. From the respective team sheets I would say that Antonio Conte is slightly more desperate to win, as he has picked his strongest possible team, while Arsene Wenger has decided not to start Alexis Sanchez or Laurent Koscielny.
Neither is even on the bench and I hope that does not mean that there is a problem, just that the boss wants to make sure they are fit for the start of the season on Friday and I assume that is also the case with Mesut Ozil who is not in the squad today. Wenger has also left Giroud and Walcott on the bench, with Iwobi, Welbeck and Lacazette the front three and he has opted for the more defensive central midfield of Elneny and Xhaka, with Chamberlain and Bellerin as the wing backs.
Cech
Holding, Mertesacker, Monreal
Bellerin, Elneny, Xhaka, Oxlade-Chamberlain
Welbeck, Iwobi, Lacazette
Subs: Ospina, Kolasinac, Willock, Nelson, Maitlaind-Niles, Walcott, Giroud.
I am not all that confident after seeing the teams, to be honest, so can this Arsenal team prove me wrong and give Chelsea the blues?
Bob.