Photo: Katie Chan / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
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Niall Quinn believes Sunday's Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City in Cardiff will serve as a key early indicator of both clubs' ambitions for the 2026/27 campaign.
Quinn spent a combined 13 years at Arsenal and Manchester City during his playing career, making him well-placed to assess both sides ahead of the season opener at the Principality Stadium. Arsenal enter as reigning Premier League champions, while City carry FA Cup winners' honours.
"I think it's a historic game," Quinn said. "It's the first marker of the season, and it's a game that kind of sets the tone and asks the question, which champions are ready for the next year? Will it be the FA Cup champions or the Premier League champions? Who was in better shape? It's a lovely game to be involved in, and it certainly whets the appetite for what's coming."
Quinn, who played in Arsenal's 1989 curtain-raiser against Liverpool at Wembley, urged the Gunners to build on their title success. "Arsenal have managed to break through that really tough barrier of getting that title under their belt. They can kick on, take a deep breath and kick on and say, right, we can really up the game here and go further."
Manchester City face a significant transition, with former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca taking charge for the first time following the end of Pep Guardiola's era at the club.
Quinn, who made almost 300 appearances for City, acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing Maresca. "Pep left his mark on the game," he said. "It's always the hardest thing ever to follow greatness. This is a really difficult task. It's going to be competitive and a big task for Maresca at Man City to maintain what Pep did, and I just hope that people understand, these things take time."
The two sides last met in the Carabao Cup final in March 2026, when City won 2-0 at Wembley. Quinn suggested both clubs have evolved since that meeting.
"Obviously Man City will be a different team, but it's probably fair to say that Arsenal are a different team now, having got over the line and broken that barrier by winning the league," Quinn said. "They've every right to feel like a great team, because they became a great team in May, when they got over the line. Now it's about where does that greatness go? We'll get the first glimpse of the joust against Man City in Cardiff and I'm excited to see it unfold."