FA Community Shield Preview: Manchester United vs. Manchester City

The Manchester derby is considered as one of the most exciting matches in the season, and it will be interesting to see two rivals face off just before the start of the season in the Charity Shield game, which is played between the league winners and the FA Cup winners.

Manchester United recorded a historic 19th league title in the 2010-11 season, while City ended their long trophy drought by beating Stoke City to win the FA Cup.

Since Sheikh Mansour has taken over the ownership of Manchester City, the club has made a number of big money signings, and they have accomplished their primary aim of participating in the Champions League this season.

However, the ambitious owner will want the Citizens to win the league title and establish the club as a force in Europe. Under Roberto Mancini, Manchester City have a group of players who form the core of the team, and if they can add the right players, they could emerge as one of the biggest clubs in Europe in the near future.

However, Sir Alex Ferguson is determined to ensure that the Red Devils remain the dominant team in Manchester, and he is keen to further build on his team in the next season. Since the defeat in the Champions League final against FC Barcelona, the long-serving United manager has brought in some important signings in Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David De Gea, who was signed to replace the now retired Edwin Van der Sar.

Though both teams will be concentrating on an excellent start to the season, a win over their rivals is certainly a boost to their morale, and it will be a game of high intensity though it is before the start of the season.

It will also be the last game where their new signings can get adjusted to their teammates before the start of the season, and both sides have made some good signings in the summer.

In the two league games in the last season, Manchester City looked compact with United not too dominant, and while the league game at the City of Manchester stadium ended in a boring draw, the game at Old Trafford turned out to be decided by that goal by Wayne Rooney, which was one of the goals of the season.

In the FA Cup semifinal, Manchester City won the game in a tense encounter, which was decided by the goal from Yaya Toure, who was one of the best signings of the last season. United will be looking to overturn the result of their last meeting at Wembley on Sunday while City hope that they can prove that that victory against the Red Devils was not a one-off win.

Manchester United

The Red Devils have one of the most settled teams ahead of the start of the season, and though there exists an element of surprise with what Ferguson might do, they are quietly confident going into the season.

Manchester United have made the right moves in the transfer market and though it is uncertain whether they will sign a creative central midfielder in the remainder of the transfer window, they have quality depth in the team and will hope to have a successful 2011-12 season.

United also had an excellent preseason in their tour to the United States, and the manager had opportunities to look at the new signings, who were given chances to impress. Ashley Young looked excellent on the flanks while Phil Jones and David De Gea look like they could be a part of the long-term future at Old Trafford.

Though De Gea joined the Red Devils on a big money deal, he might have to beat competition from Anders Lindegaard, who also looks a solid goalkeeper. The Danish goalkeeper has shown the ambition to be the No.1 keeper for United, and should he continue putting in impressive performances, Ferguson will certainly consider him for the goalkeeping role.

Also, Ferguson would have been pleased with the efforts of youngsters in the last year and players like Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, who went on loans to Wigan and Sunderland respectively. Cleverley in particular impressed in the preseason friendly against Barcelona, and it is possible that the astute manager has some plans for him in this season.

According to the Mirror, Ferguson would be without Michael Carrick and Javier Hernandez for the game, and Ferguson considers the game as the last phase of preparation for the start of the season, which means he could include a few youngsters in the lineup. The long-serving Red Devils' manager said.

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"I have always viewed the Community Shield as a stepping stone to the first game of the season. It's very easy to get emotional about this type of game but I don't think we will be changing our policy. There may be two or three players who need the game on Sunday."

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Predictions for Starting XI

David De Gea, Fabio da Silva, Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling, Patrice Evra, Phil Jones, Anderson, Tom Cleverley, Ashley Young, Nani, Wayne Rooney

Player to Watch

Wayne Rooney

The England international suffered a horrendous run of form in the first half of the last season where he was not performing at his best. However, Ferguson gave him time to find his spark and by the end of the season, he was performing much better and proved an important player in Manchester United' historic title victory.

With the summer break, it seems like Rooney has found his goalscoring form again as he dazzled in preseason scoring plenty of goals. With the England international in form, the Red Devils will be hopeful of being successful in the next season.

Manchester City

 Manchester City qualified for the Champions League via their third position in the league table in the previous season and with European football on the agenda, City are on their way to establishing themselves as one of the premier clubs in the world. The cash-rich club can not only offer the highest of wages to footballers but also offer them the chance to compete at the highest level and could go on to become stronger in the future.

Though the Citizens failed to finish within the Champions League places in the 2009-10 season, they persisted with Roberto Mancini, and the Italian tactician has been immense in guiding them to their position in the last season. Though Mancini has often been criticized for his rather defensive tactics at Manchester City, he has helped them build a compact unit capable of winning narrow encounters.

The last season was a difficult one for Mancini and his players because there was always bound to be some disputes and ego-clashes in the team, but the manager has helped the team establish a good rapport. City have made a number of important signings in the last two seasons with Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany, Nigel De Jong, Carlos Tevez and some others proving to be excellent signings for City.

For a number of years now, Manchester City have been dominated by rivals Manchester United, but with a new rich owner in Sheikh Mansour and a good team under Mancini, the Citizens are hoping to have a successful 2011-11 season. Mancini understands the importance of the Manchester derby, and though it is only the Community shield, winning against Manchester United would bring belief to the side and also send out a strong message to other rivals.

According to the Mirror, City captain Carlos Tevez is apparently on leave following the Copa America tournament while new big money signing Sergio Aguero is likely to start the game on the bench. Aguero could be an extremely important player for Manchester City in the next season especially if Tevez does leave the club and the former Atletico striker has the capability to produce impressive performances if he can adjust to City's style of play.

It is fair to say that Manchester City will be charged up ahead of the game and will be looking to have a psychological advantage going into the season beating their rivals. City have shown in the last season that they do have the quality and the mental strength to beat Manchester United and will hope that they can taste victory at Wembley on Sunday.

Predictions for Starting XI

Joe Hart, Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott, Vincent Kompany, Gael Clichy, Nigel De Jong, Gareth Barry, Yaya Toure, David Silva, James Milner, Mario Balotelli

Player to Watch

David Silva

The Spanish international is one of the finest players in the Premiership and has the rare ability to glide past defenders and produce incisive defense-splitting issues. Despite his rather light frame, he has shown the determination to succeed in the Premiership and has managed to cope well with the physicality of the Premiership.

Silva was one of the best players for City in the previous season, and if Manchester United cannot curtail the influence of Silva, who plays in a rather free role, then the tricky midfielder could cause plenty of problems for the Red Devils.

Prediction for the Game

It will be a tight and exciting encounter, and though both managers could experiment on a few things, they will both be interested in gaining a psychological advantage going in to the start of the season.

City has the depth and quality to challenge Manchester United for the Premiership while the Red Devils are confident of their quality and mental strength, which has been a key reason for their consistent success.

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