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- It will be the third time the two have faced each other in the competition, with both sides last facing off in 2015, with Alex Oxlade Chamberlain’s strike being the difference between the two sides. 10 years earlier, a Didier Drogba double won the shield for Chelsea despite former Arsenal Captain Cesc Fabregas pulling one back for his old team.
- Arsenal killed off any hopes of a Chelsea double last season, with a late Aaron Ramsey header helping the Gunners get their hands on the FA Cup for a record 13th time, putting a dampener on a fantastic campaign for Antonio Conte’s men.
- When it comes to Community Shield success, Arsenal have been the more prolific with four wins from their six matches (2002, 2004, 2014, 2015), while Chelsea have not had the best of times in this competition with just two successes from seven attempts (2005, 2009).
- Of their six previous Community Shield appearances (since 2002), Arsenal have won four, drawn one (lost on penalties) and lost one. They have scored 10 goals and conceded just four in comparison.
- This is Chelsea’s 12th appearance in the FA Charity or Community Shield. Of the 11 so far, six have been at Wembley, two at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, two at Stamford Bridge, and one at Villa Park.
- In Chelsea's seven appearances since 2002, they have won once in 90 minutes, drawn twice (winning once and losing once on penalties), and lost four in regulation time. They have scored nine goals in this fixture but have shipped 13 at the other end.
- Both sides have invested heavily in reinforcements in the close season, with Chelsea breaking their transfer record by signing Spain’s Álvaro Morata for £58M from Champions League Winners Real Madrid, whilst Arsenal have invested heavily (£46M) in French centre forward Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon, whose 37 goals last season made him one of Europe’s most sort-after strikers.
- When it comes to winning Community Shields, Arsenal have claimed an impressive 14 titles, third to both Manchester United (21) and Liverpool (15). Chelsea, on the other hand, are joint second for the most runners up medals, losing seven of their 11 finals with a win percentage of 36.36% compared to Arsenal’s 66.66%-win rate.
- Everton in fact have the best win percentage of any team to play in at least 5 finals (81.8%), with their record Goal scorer Dixie Dean also holding the record for most goals scored in Community Shield fixtures (6).
- The new Wembley stadium, the venue for Sunday’s game, will be hosting the final for the tenth time. Before 2007, the Community Shield was held at former permanent homes Old Wembley (1974-2000) and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (2001-06).
- Before 1974, the Shield was held at several guest venues, including Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, which hosted the final 10 times. The last time the Shield was held in a guest venue was the 2012 clash between Chelsea and Manchester City at Villa Park due to Wembley being used for the Olympic Games.
- It bodes well if you score first in a Community Shield match. Of the 14 games that have had a goal in them since 2002, 11 have seen the winner also be the team that has drawn first blood (a success rate of 78.6%). The three instances that buck the trend are in 2009, 2011 and 2012 when Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City respectively all conceded first but still went on to win the silverware.
- The most popular score-line in a Charity/Community Shield match is 1-0, which has happened on 18 occasions (a frequency of 19.0%) since 1908.
- Eight clubs have participated in the Community Shield since 2002. Five of those are Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool while another three clubs have made just one solitary appearance; that trio being Portsmouth in 2008, Wigan in 2013 and Leicester City in 2016. All three of the clubs that have made just a single appearance have been on the losing side.
- Unlike most other football competitions where only 3 substitutions are permitted, teams in the Community Shield are permitted up to 6 substitutions.
Match starts 6:30 PM, Live and Exclusive on SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 2 HD.
