Community Shield: Chelsea, Arsenal lock horns in season’s curtain raiser

Premier League champions Chelsea face FA Cup winners Arsenal in the Community Shield- the season’s traditional ‘curtain raiser’ at Wembley later today. The match will be played at 2pm.

The match will provide an opportunity for the teams to show how ready they are for the new season. Arsenal defeated the Blues to lift the FA Cup last season but also fell to the Premier League Champions 3-0 in a pre-season match last month.

So much will depend on the condition of both teams at this formative stage of the season. Chelsea’s tour of Asia lasted a few days longer than Arsenal’s, with boss Antonio Conte admitting his players were exhausted by the end of their schedule in relentless humidity.

With no Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and possibly Pedro, the champions have fewer options at their disposal than Arsenal, who have emerged victorious in their last eight matches at Wembley. Xhaka in central midfield. New signings Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac are expected to feature prominently.

On the other hand, Chelsea’s last season’s star players Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are unavailable, with the Belgian playmaker recovering from a broken ankle and Costa exiled from the squad by Antonio Conte.

Pedro is also a doubt meaning summer signing Alvaro Morata might start in a more withdrawn role behind Michy Batshuayi.