CARDIFF, Wales — Bruno Guimarães and Elliot Anderson will make their first starts for Arsenal and Manchester City respectively in the Community Shield following their big-money moves in the summer.
Guimarães joined Arsenal from Newcastle United earlier in August for a deal worth £75 million ($101.5m), according to sources. He made his first appearance for the club off the bench in the preseason friendly against Como on Wednesday.
The Brazil international starts alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield, with captain Martin Ødegaard also named in Arsenal’s starting lineup.
Lewis-Skelly started each of Arsenal’s four preseason games this summer and keeps his place in midfield despite speculation linking him to Manchester United and Chelsea.
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Doubts also remain over the futures of Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri at the club, and the duo have been left out of the squad entirely.
Martinelli drew a €45million ($51.8m) bid from Galatasaray earlier this week, and the Gunners’ have been keen to upgrade on the left wing, as evidenced by their pursuit of Vinícius Júnior.
Nwaneri was sent out on loan for the second-half of last season to Marseille, but struggled for game time and impact in France. In a news conference on Friday, manager Mikel Arteta said the 19-year-old had matured from his experience at the Stade Vélodrome but hinted at a possible exit this summer.
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“I want him to be at the club, but in the middle, long term, what is best for the player? Ethan needs to play football, and if he stays here, it’s because we can guarantee that he can have those minutes,” he said.
“Otherwise, it’s just something that is not good for anybody, I think.”
The Community Shield is Enzo Maresca‘s competitive debut as Manchester City boss and the Italian has named a strong lineup for the clash in Cardiff.
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Club-record signing Anderson starts in midfield for his debut with Erling Haaland also set to make his first appearance since his World Cup heroics.
Spain’s World Cup winning captain Rodri has been left out of the squad entirely after returning to training only on Friday. His future at the club remains unclear with Barcelona keenly pursuing the midfielder.
Savinho has also not been included in the squad amid growing speculation over his future at the Etihad.
