Man City vs Man United: Is winning the Community Shield important?

A mere 77 days after clashing in the FA Cup Final, Manchester's big two will converge on Wembley again, this time contesting the 102nd FA Community Shield. Back in May, the Red Devils upset the odds, beating their neighbours 2-1 at the national stadium, thanks to quick-fire goals from Alejandro Garnacho and then Kobbie Mainoo, cup success that very much saved Erik ten Hag's job.

Man City vs Man United: Is winning the Community Shield important?

Thus, this'll be just the eight time the same two clubs have met in both the FA Cup Final and Community Shield in the same year: Arsenal vs Chelsea (2017), Man United vs Chelsea (2007), Liverpool vs Wimbledon (1988), Liverpool vs Everton (1986), Man United vs Everton (1985), Liverpool vs Man United (1977) and Man United vs Aston Villa (1957). Meantime, it'll be only the third Manchester derby in this fixture, with the Red Devils prevailing in both previous encounters, 1-0 in 1956 and 3-2 back in 2011.

But how important is this competition to win? Well, no side since Man United 13 years ago has hoisted the Community Shield aloft and then gone onto win the Premier League during the forthcoming campaign, including Man City themselves, who defeated Liverpool on penalties in 2019, the only season the Sky Blues have not been champions for seven year.

So, if you believe in omens, victory for Pep Guardiola's team at Wembley could offer hope for all who seek to challenge them for league supremacy.

The start of something special for Erik ten Hag?

Last season was an unparalleled disaster for Manchester United, ending up eighth in the Premier League, their lowest finish since 1990, having also crashed out in the Champions League group phase, beaten a staggering 19 times across all competitions.

However, this was all forgotten and forgiven because, as alluded to earlier, the Red Devils pulled off a monumental upset by defeating their city rivals in the FA Cup Final, capturing the trophy for the 13th time and salvaging Europa League qualification.

As a result of that triumph alone, after weeks of deliberation, the Glazer family and SirJim Ratcliffe decided to back ten Hag, the Dutchman signing a new contract in early-July. So now, it's time for ten Hag to start repaying this faith.

It's been a mixed pre-season for Manchester United, beating both Rangers at Murrayfield and Real Betis in San Diego, while also suffering defeats to Arsenal in LA and, most-recently, Liverpool, easily swatting aside 3-0 by their fiercest rivals in South Carolina on Saturday.

Of course, these results are immaterial, but what is impactful is the injuries suffered by Leny Yoro, who'll be sidelined for three months, Rasmus Højlund, who's out for six weeks, as well as Marcus Rashford, with his participation at Wembley in doubt too. Alongside Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee is the other big-money signing who supporters are hoping to get a first glimpse of here.

Pep Guardiola's quest for more silverware

On the flip side, no such headaches for Pep Guardiola, after his Manchester City side secured an historic, record-breaking fourth successive Premier League title in May, the first team in English top division history to ever achieve this.

In all, he's now won 17 major honours since arriving in 2016, including two Community Shields, with this the first of six trophies the Sky Blues are chasing this time round, concluding with the month-long, newly-revamped FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S. next June and July.

In pre-season, the Citizens have been improving incrementally, suffering defeats at the hands of both Celtic and A.C. Milan, holding Barcelona to a draw before a commanding, 4-2 hammering of Chelsea in Ohio last Saturday, with Erling Braut Håland bagging a hat-trick in Columbus.

To date, there have been no major departures and there could be a debut for Sávio, who's arrived from within the City Football Group, having shone at Girona last season. Defeat in May's FA Cup Final was painful, so Man City supporters will be looking to exact some semblance of revenge this weekend.