Ahead of this weekend’s Premier League curtain-raiser at Wembley, the respective UAE fan clubs of Arsenal and Chelsea preview the 2015 Community Shield.
Richard D’Cruze – Arsenal Supporters Club UAE
After finishing the 2014/15 season in third place and winning back-to-back FA cups, Arsenal are looking to kick start the new campaign on a positive note. And the only way to do it is to beat Chelsea on Sunday and claim their second successive Charity Shield crown.
Both teams have brought in early reinforcements this summer, with Chelsea signing Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco (who had a nightmare campaign at Manchester United last season) and the reigning EPL champions’ goalkeeper Petr Cech moving to the Emirates.
Pre-season was pretty light for both sides. Chelsea winning four of their five matches, while Arsenal reigned supreme in all four pre-season fixtures as they won both the Barclays Asia Cup and Emirates Cup trophies.
As @Arsenal prepare for Sunday’s #CommunityShield, who remembers this classic strike from @IanWright0 v @ManUtd? pic.twitter.com/Ldcg4hEIR2
— The FA (@FA) July 31, 2015
Arsenal has not beaten a Jose Mourinho Chelsea in either of the Portuguese’s two spells, which is very frustrating for us Gooners as we have to keep hearing the ‘Special One’s’ constant barrage of arrogance and slams. So a win on Sunday will not only give Arsenal a victory and a trophy, but also put an end to Mourinho’s jabs, particularly the claims that Arsene Wenger is a ‘Specialist in failure’.
Arsenal player to watch: Petr Cech – The Czech giant completed his move across London after spending nine trophy-laden years at Stamford Bridge. All eyes will be on Cech, who will be facing his former employers for the first time this season.
Chelsea player to watch: Eden Hazard – The Belgian international was one of the stars of last season as he helped the Blues claim their first title since 2010. His incredible solo goal during last week’s pre-season match against Barcelona made headlines, touting him to rival Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the world’s best.
Score prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
Likely line-up: Cech; Debuchy, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gibbs; Coquelin, Ramsey; Walcott, Ozil, Cazorla; Giroud
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Where to watch: The Arsenal UAE Supporters Club will be gathering at Velocity Bar in JW Marriott Marquis, Business Bay. For more information contact on how to become an Arsenal UAE member contact [email protected].
For Gooners in Abu Dhabi, the Arsenal UAE Supporters Club has recently set up a branch in the capital, where they will meet at the Harvesters Bar in Holiday Inn Downtown, Electra Street.
You can also follow Arsenal UAE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
Toby Young – UAECSC
We are a week before the start of the 2015/16 EPL season, and it is tradition that we have the annual curtain raiser in the Community Shield. The winners of the Premier League, Chelsea, take on the winners of the FA Cup, Arsenal. Although this has taken on the appearance of a glorified friendly over the last few years it can often be termed as anything but as both teams look to lay down a marker before the big kick off next weekend.
We have all spent the summer watching various internationals and friendlies waiting for the season to start and it is almost upon us. This match is bound to have a bit of an edge that the Asian and US tours we have seen over the last few weeks seemed to lack.
Chelsea have only played three friendlies leading into this game and with more to come against Fiorentina may be a little under cooked. Gone are they days where teams would play 6-7 matches before the season starts.
It’s a Wembley return for @ChelseaFC in the #CommunityShield on Sunday. Who remembers Mario Melchiot’s goal in ’00? pic.twitter.com/K7OvyV6oZY
— The FA (@FA) July 31, 2015
Oddly enough Chelsea have a couple of injury doubts heading into the game with Diego Costa possibly having a small hamstring issue, and Gary Cahill breaking his nose in the penalty shoot-out victory against Barcalona.
Chelsea player to watch: Eden Hazard – He will be looking to replicate the form he showed throughout last season, most notably in the run up to securing the title.
Arsenal player to watch: Theo Walcott – Buoyed by his new deal, and having been out for most of last season with injury, Walcott will be looking to turn the afterburners on early and secure his place in the team for the rest of the campaign.
Score prediction: 2-2 draw with Chelsea winning on penalties.
Likely line-up: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Costa
Where to watch: As ever the UAECSC will be watching the match in Loca in the Dubai Marine Beach Resort and Spa. We will also be live on Dubai Eye shortly after the match for comment and a preview of the season.
