Photo: Ank kumar / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
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Enzo Maresca has described Sunday's FA Community Shield against Arsenal as a genuine opportunity to win silverware, dismissing any suggestion that the fixture represents a final pre-season run-out.
Manchester City face the Premier League champions at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Sunday, with kick-off at 15:00 (UK). It will be Maresca's first competitive match in charge of the club.
"For me personally it is a trophy," Maresca said at his pre-match press conference. "When trophies and a final are there, you always try to win the game. So, no friendly game at all. It's a trophy that we are going to try our best to win, to win the first trophy."
Maresca acknowledged Arsenal's achievements under Mikel Arteta, noting that the Gunners won the Premier League title in 2025/26. City finished as runners-up in the league but defeated Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final and remained unbeaten against them in both league meetings.
"Arsenal have shown in the last two, three, four, five years that they have been always there. It's a fantastic team, well managed by Mikel [Arteta]," Maresca said. "Last year they won the Premier League, they showed how good they are in this moment. But at the same time, we are City and we are going to try to close the gap and try to compete again."
City's Premier League campaign opens the following Sunday against Bournemouth.