Rice and Saka Sit Out as Arsenal Face Man City in High-Stakes Community Shield Showdown

CARDIFF, Wales — New season, same old Mikel Arteta.

The Premier League manager notorious for his unreliable injury updates spoke with great confidence when pressed about the availability of his England World Cup duo, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka. "They will be available," he firmly told reporters on Friday. "They trained with us today, they will train tomorrow, and if they are in the shape we expect, they will be involved."

Yet neither was considered fit enough to earn a starting spot in Sunday's Community Shield clash against Manchester City. Despite Arteta's evasiveness, that outcome was hardly surprising.

Rice and Saka had been starting together for England in the third-place playoff against France in the sweltering Miami heat just 29 days prior. The duo only resumed training on Tuesday, and neither had played a single minute in Arsenal's preseason friendlies to date.

Both players also battled various physical issues during the World Cup, much to Thomas Tuchel's vocal frustration, and may welcome a gradual return to club football ahead of what looks set to be another demanding campaign across four competitions. Thanks to the impressive squad depth at Arteta's disposal, the absence of both players didn't leave too glaring a hole in Arsenal's starting lineup.

Lineups

Bruno Guimaraes Given Tough Debut Test

Following his unofficial debut in Arsenal's friendly draw with Como during the week, Arteta was already brimming with enthusiasm about Bruno Guimarães. "You could sense straight away a really strong connection and a player who will undoubtedly make us better," the Basque manager said with a broad smile.

That enthusiasm translated into a (semi-)competitive debut for the $101 million summer signing against Arsenal's closest title rivals and last season's FA Cup champions. Pep Guardiola openly expressed admiration for Guimarães during his time at Manchester City, despite frequently getting the upper hand over the combative midfielder.

Guimarães was part of the Lyon squad that famously eliminated City from the Champions League quarterfinals in 2020, but went on to lose seven of his 11 matches against the Sky Blues while at Newcastle United. He also managed to pick up a booking in each of his first seven Premier League encounters against a side the Magpies so frequently struggled to handle.

"It's the worst game," Guimarães has previously admitted of facing City. "I hate it. It feels like we're all children and they're the professionals. It's horrible.

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"It feels like they're playing with 15 players and we're playing with seven. You look around and think, 'Wow, there are so many blue shirts.' It's unbelievable. And they're all incredibly good. Sometimes we talk, the coach says: 'Press the right side, the left side…'

"Against Manchester City, how do you even play?! You step onto the pitch and they score straight away… It's so difficult, there are just so many quality players."

Guimarães will be hoping for a very different experience against City on Sunday.