The football season is soon upon us as the attention is turned towards this Sunday's annual curtain raiser pitting FA Cup winners Arsenal against Premier League Champions Chelsea.
Both sets of fans will be looking to go into the league campaign optimistic and an opportunity presents itself in the form of the Community Shield. The game also provides an opportunity for the respective managers to bed in new signings and different tactical approaches.
The last time these two teams met in a competitive context, was the FA Cup final back in May where Arsenal triumphed over Chelsea beating their London rivals 2-1. The win for Arsenal on that day stopped Antonio Conte's Chelsea side from winning the double and presented Arsenal with some silverware following a difficult season. It was speculated that the FA Cup final would be Arsene Wenger's last game in charge but the Frenchman signed a new two year deal shortly after.
Arsenal come into the new season facing a challenge without Champions League football, however new signings have boosted fans hopes of a potential title challenge. The signing of Alexandre Lacazette is a huge statement by Arsenal, breaking their club record transfer fee in the process. Lacazette has averaged 25 goals a season, in his last three years at Lyon.
The Gunners also signed Bosnian left back Sead Kolasinac on a free. Kolasinac could prove a coup for Arsene Wenger, as the man who was in the Bundesliga team of the season looks to make a name for himself in the Premier League.
During pre-season, Arsenal won four of their six scheduled friendlies including a penalty shootout victory over Bayern Munich as well as a 5-2 victory over Portuguese Champions Benfica in the Emirates Cup. They did however face Chelsea in pre-season, losing 3-0 in Beijing.
The reigning Premier League champions Chelsea, are looking for another successful season under Antonio Conte as like his counterpart Wenger, also signed a new deal, extending his stay with The Blues. Last season was certainly a memorable one for Chelsea, spearheaded by the likes of N'golo Kante and Eden Hazard.
Chelsea have lost key personnel though with their long serving captain John Terry departing as well as the ongoing Diego Costa situation, with the Spanish striker on his way out of the club. Chelsea have addressed this with signings of Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Morata from Roma and Real Madrid respectively.
Morata comes in to the Chelsea team with a point to prove, having been primarily used as a very reliable backup option at his previous clubs will now look to cement himself as the first choice at Chelsea. Rudiger is a full German International who's performances for Roma, prompted Chelsea to pay £29m for the services of the centre back.
Chelsea come into this game having won one of their three pre-season games, with the club embarking on a "Tour of the Champions" across Asian countries such as China and Signapore.
The last time these two sides faced each other in the Community Shield, Arsenal won 1-0
Previous meetings
Arsenal 0-3 Chelsea (Pre-season)
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea (FA Cup final)
Chelsea 3-1 Arsenal (Premier League)
Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea (Premier League)
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
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