The English football season resumes with a key pre-season matchup between reigning Premier League champions Chelsea and FA Cup holders Arsenal in the FA Community Shield friendly at Wembley on Sunday.
The high-profile contest is often called a ‘curtain raiser’ to the season and comes 64 days after the Gunners finished their domestic season with a 4-0 FA Cup triumph over Aston Villa.
Date, time and venue
The FA Community Shield will take place on Sunday 2 August at 3pm at Wembley Stadium.
Where to watch
The 2015 Community Shield will be shown on BT Sport 2 from 2.30pm.
All the fans away from their TV screens can follow the live action here.
Team News
Chelsea
- The good news from the Blues’ camp is that striker Diego Costa and Gary Cahill have passed the fitness test and are available for selection against Community Shield holders Arsenal. The pair was replaced due to suspected injuries in Chelsea’s pre-season friendly victory over Barcelona on Wednesday.
- New arrivals Asmir Begovic and Radamel Falcao should both be in looking to find a place in the starting XI, but it seems unlikely at the moment.
- Youngsters like Kurt Zouma and Victor Moses could get an opportunity to showcase their talent as substitutes.
Arsenal
- Alexis Sanchez and David Ospina won’t be involved following his late return from the Copa America.
- Danny Welbeck will miss the high-powered action as he continues healing bone bruising on his knee.
- Petr Cech is also expected to get a start against the former club where he spent over a decade and is still revered as a legend.
Predicted Lineups
Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker (c), Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla; Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Olivier Giroud.
Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry (c), Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta; Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Eden Hazard; Diego Costa
