Arsenal vs Man City predictions: Community Shield 2026 tips & 22/1 bet builder

Arsenal vs Manchester City match details

• Fixture: Arsenal vs Manchester City

• Competition: Community Shield

• Date: Sunday, August 16, 2026

• Kick-off: 15:00 BST

• Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

• UK TV: TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, Prime Video, HBO Max and Now TV

Our prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City

Arsenal vs Manchester City predicted line-ups

Arsenal

Our predicted XI (4-3-3): Kepa / White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori / Guimaraes, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard / Martinelli, Gyokeres, Tzolis

Manchester City

Our predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma / Nunes, Dias, Khusanov, Gvardiol / Kovacic, Reijnders / Savinho, Foden, Semenyo / Marmoush

Arsenal vs Manchester City Bet Builder

Ladbrokes shares its Arsenal vs Manchester City Bet Builder ahead of the Community Shield, which is coming in at 22/1.

• Leg 1 - Viktor Gyokeres 2+ shots - 2/5

• Leg 2 - Antoine Semenyo 1+ assist - 15/2

• Leg 3 - Arsenal to win or draw - 4/9

• Leg 4 - Over 2.5 goals - 5/6

Viktor Gyokeres 2+ shots

Viktor Gyokeres had an up-and-down first Premier League season, but he still finished with 14 league goals and remains Arsenal’s most natural penalty-box striker. His minutes should be valuable here, especially with Arsenal likely to spend spells on the front foot against a City side still adjusting to Maresca. The 2+ shots angle keeps the focus on involvement rather than end product.

Antoine Semenyo 1+ assist

Antoine Semenyo looks a clear fit for Maresca’s wide attacking plan. The Ghana forward has been heavily involved in City’s pre-season, with his delivery and one-v-one threat standing out during the Asia tour. He created twice for Omar Marmoush against Atletico Madrid and has looked more like a supplier than only a direct goal threat, which makes the assist leg an interesting part of this Bet Builder.

Arsenal to win or draw

Arsenal come into this as Premier League champions and have the more settled managerial situation, even with defensive injuries to manage. City have quality everywhere, but this is Maresca’s first competitive match in charge and Rodri’s back surgery leaves a key midfield question. Arsenal are also slight favourites with Ladbrokes, so the double-chance leg gives the Bet Builder some protection in a tight match.

Over 2.5 goals

Community Shield matches can be awkward to read, but there are reasons to expect chances. Arsenal’s three pre-season games produced 14 goals, while City’s three-match Asia tour also delivered open contests, including 3-1 wins over K-League All Stars and Atletico Madrid. With both managers still sharpening defensive structure after the World Cup break, over 2.5 goals fits the feel of the fixture.

View the latest football odds here.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.