How Arsenal will be impacted by Man City vs Man United FA Cup final ahead of 2023/24 season
Arsenal will find out about their upcoming season’s beginning after the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United. Once the match concludes, the Gunners, who finished in the top two of the Premier League, will have a chance to participate in the 2023/24 season’s opening game known as the Community Shield.
However, there is a condition attached to this opportunity: City must be the reigning champions of England.
According to the FA, the Community Shield is an annual match typically held at Wembley Stadium. It involves the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup.
So, if Manchester United wins the FA Cup final on Saturday, there will be a rematch between them and Arsenal in August for the Community Shield. This means that the two rivals would face each other once again in the upcoming season’s curtain-raiser.
In the previous season, Liverpool, the FA Cup holders, faced Manchester City, the champions, at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium as the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 final was being hosted. Liverpool emerged victorious with a 3-1 win in that match.
If Erik Ten Hag manages to lead Manchester United to another victory in a Manchester derby this season, it will confirm for Arsenal that their first competitive match of the new campaign will be in the Premier League. The Premier League is scheduled to kick off on August 12 and conclude nine months later on May 19, 2024.
However, if Manchester City, the current Premier League champions, win the FA Cup, Arsenal as the runners-up in the league will face them in the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on August 6, 2023, instead of Manchester United.
At the moment, Arsenal’s pre-season plans are not fully confirmed. However, three fixtures have already been announced as part of their tour of the United States next month. These matches include games against the MLS All-Stars on July 20, Manchester United on July 22, and Barcelona on July 26.
In August, the Emirates Cup victory against Sevilla served as Arsenal’s last preparation game before the start of the Premier League season, which commenced six days later. However, it is likely that this won’t be the case this year if Arsenal participates in the Community Shield against Manchester City.
Interestingly, Arsenal is currently tied with Liverpool as the second-most successful teams in the history of the competition, having won it 16 times. In fact, Arsenal has not lost a Community Shield fixture since 2005 and even secured a 3-0 victory against Manchester City in 2014, with Mikel Arteta captaining the team at that time.
How Arsenal will be impacted by Man City vs Man United FA Cup final ahead of 2023/24 season
