SARRI’S CHELSEA SET TO FACE MAN CITY
London, Aug. 4: Manchester City take on Chelsea in Sunday’s Community Shield — the traditional curtainraiser to the English season — but the Wembley showpiece will offer few clues as to the destination of the Premier League title.
The glorified friendly between the league champions and the FA Cup winners has been a notoriously poor predictor of success in recent years — no winner has gone on to be crowned champions in the same season since Manchester United in 2010- 11.
The game, likely to be played in sizzling summer temperatures in London, is set to feature various youngsters and fringe players as World Cup stars ease their way back into club action.
But whatever the lineups, there are plenty of talking points and the game will be closely watched for clues as domestic football reclaims centre stage just three weeks after the World Cup final in
Russia.
Can Manchester City pick up where they left off last season or will they have a serious challenger?
Will new manager Maurizio Sarri be able to revive FA Cup winners Chelsea, who finished fifth last season after winning the title the previous year under Antonio Conte?
The City manager revealed how much he was looking forward to locking horns with Sarri, who replaced Conte last month.—