All eyes on FA Community Shield Match this weekend

AS English Premier League football makes its traditional August return, all eyes are on this weekend’s FA Community Shield match, in which 2023-24 Premier League champions Manchester City take on FA Cup 2024 winners Manchester United.

As always, the action and excitement of the season’s curtain-raiser will be seen live and in HD by DStv viewers in Zimbabwe, where fans are already talking about which club will dominate the coming season and who the most promising and most successful players on field are likely to be.

Charity Njanji, head of corporate affairs and public relations of MultiChoice Zimbabwe, said the FA Community Shield was the herald of a full season of Premier League starting on August 16 and featuring 380 matches through to season’s end in May.

“We know there are many fans of the Premier League here in Zimbabwe and it is pleasing to say once again that full coverage of matches, with additional pre and post-match previews and reviews, will be made available through DStv’s SuperSport,” she said.

The FA Community Shield was originally known as the Charity Shield and was first played in 1908, having evolved from the Sheriff of London’s annual fixture match between a professional club and an amateur team. Manchester United have the most Shield wins, with 17 outright wins and four shares from draws, making 21 titles in all. It is the traditional curtain-raiser to the coming season and is played between the winner of the previous season’s Premier League champions title and the winners of the last FA Cup final.

This season’s match will be played on Saturday August 10 at 4pm, with live coverage on SuperSport complemented by match previews and analysis. The meeting of City and United comes just two and a half months after they clashed in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium in late May, when the Red Devils claimed a surprise 2-1 win.

United are looking to build on that FA Cup win, with manager Erik ten Hag retained for the start of the first full season under the new co-ownership of the Ineos group. The Red Devils will need to show far more consistency and ambition compared to last season’s roller-coaster campaign, but kicking off with another win over City would be the perfect way to set the tone.

Man City manager Pep Guardiola has spoken on the rising influence of the club’s academy players such as Oscar Bobb and Rico Lewis: “We’re blessed to have these players. It’s nice because the other young players look up to senior players. If you aren’t ready another will be ready because look at them, they want to become footballers and show they want to be there. As a manager it’s really good and that’s why having this period before the season is good. It’s nice to see them, I didn’t know them quite well but in training we can find them.”

Man United midfielder Mason Mount spoke on the work the team has been doing in preparation for the season: “This is such an important time for us as a group, to put the work in, to work at a few different things we’re going into the season trying to do. We don’t normally get loads of time to prepare for games during the season. You have maybe a few days if you’re having two games a week. So yeah, we’ll be ready.”

“So we know where all eyes will be focused this Saturday, “ said  Njanji.

“It all happens on Saturday August 10 at 4pm our time, when it’s Manchester United v Manchester City, live on DStv’s SuperSport Football Plus.”