Manchester rivals clash at Wembley

Premier League champions Manchester United and FA Cup winners Manchester City will face each other in the season’s curtain-raiser at Wembley Stadium, tomorrow.

The campaign opener is an opportunity for both clubs to establish an early edge ahead of what promises to be a hard season.

Since the contest was renamed the Community Shield (formerly Charity Shield) in 2002, Manchester United won the honour four times, including last year when they beat Chelsea 3-1.

Since 2002, the Red Devils have lifted the shield three other times, all after a penalty shoot-out as the outcome was decided from the deadly spot on four occasions in total.

In 2009, Chelsea beat Manchester United 4-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw (no extra-time is played).

The other three occasions when the Shield was decided on penalties were:

2008: Manchester United-Portsmouth 3-1 (after 0-0 draw).

2007: Manchester United-Chelsea 3-0 (after 1-1 draw).

2003: Manchester United-Arsenal 4-3 (after 1-1 draw).

Manchester United top the all-time winners’ classification, having lifted the Community Shield on 14 occasions outright and shared the prize four times.

They won the first title in 1908 at QPR’s expense.

The only time the two clubs from Manchester met in the Shield was in 1956. United, as champions, beat FA Cup winners City 1-0 thanks to a Dennis Violett goal.

Manchester City suffered two other defeats in the ‘match’ − vs Arsenal in 1934; and vs Leeds in 1969. The Citizens won the honour on three occasions:

1972: beat Aston Villa 1-0.

1968: beat West Bromwich Albion 6-1.

1937: beat Sunderland 2-0.

The last time City captured the Shield, they contested the match after the league winners (Derby County) and FA Cup holders (Leeds United) had both declined to play in the Charity Shield.

So Man. City, who had finished fourth in the First Division, and Third Division champions Aston Villa were instead invited to take part.

The last Community Shield derby was the all-London affair in 2005 between Chelsea and Arsenal (2-1).

Tevez saga

The Carlos Tevez soap opera rumbles on − will he stay or will he go?

Recently, the speculation about Tevez increased after he was spottted talking to Inter officials in Sardegna but the Argentine forward has always said that he wanted to be close to his family.

This summer, City secured the signature of Argentine striker Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid for a club record fee of £38m, making Tevez’s departure more likely.

City boss Roberto Mancini had emphasised that, irrespective of the Tevez situation, the Blues were looking to add at least three new players before the start of the season (Aguero being one of them).

With just over three weeks left before the end of August, and the closure of the window, both United and City will be scrutinising the market to further bolster their squads.

City have already signed Montenegro defender Stefan Savic, from Partizan Belgrade, and full-back Gael Clichy, from Arsenal.

United, meanwhile, swooped for winger Ashley Young from Aston Villa, goalkeeper David De Gea, from Atletico Madrid, and young defender Phil Jones, from Blackburn Rovers.

Alex Ferguson said United now had more options on the flanks.

The English champions are still being linked with a move for Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder, seen by many as the ideal replacement for Paul Scholes who retired from the game at the end of last season.

Weekend fixtures in UK

Community Shield
(tomorrow, Wembley Stadium)

Man. City-Man. Utd 14:30

The Championship

Brighton-Doncaster 15:00
Bristol City-Ipswich Town
Burnley-Watford
Coventry City-Leicester 13:30
Derby County-Birmingham
Middlesbrough-Portsmouth
Nottm Forest-Barnsley
Peterborough-Crystal Palace
Reading-Millwall
Southampton-Leeds 18:20

Tomorrow:
West Ham-Cardiff 14:00

League One

Brentford-Yeovil
Carlisle-Notts County
Charlton-Bournemouth
Huddersfield-Bury
MK Dons-Hartlepool
Oldham-Sheffield Utd
Preston-Colchester
Sheffield Wed.-Rochdale
Stevenage-Exeter
Tranmere-Chesterfield
Walsall-Leyton Orient
Wycombe-Scunthorpe

League Two

Wimbledon-Bristol Rovers 12:45
Bradford-Aldershot
Gillingham-Cheltenham
Macclesfield-Dagenham
Morecambe-Barnet
Northampton-Acc. Stanley
Port Vale-Crawley Town
Rotherham-Oxford Utd
Shrewsbury-Plymouth
Southend-Hereford
Swindon-Crewe
Torquay-Burton Albion

In Scotland

Premier League

Dundee Utd-St Mirren
Dunfermline-Inverness CT

Tomorrow:
Aberdeen-Celtic 13:15
Motherwell-Hearts 16:00

First Division

Ayr-Hamilton
Livingston-Queen of South
Partick Thistle-Dundee
Raith Rovers-Falkirk
Ross County-Morton

Second Division

Airdrie Utd-Dumbarton
Arbroath-Albion
Brechin-Stenhousemuir
Forfar-Cowdenbeath
Stirling-East Fife

Third Division

Annan Athletic-Queen’s Park
Clyde-Peterhead
East Stirling-Montrose
Elgin-Berwick
Stranraer-Alloa