Pep Guardiola confirms significant injury setback just days ahead of Manchester derby Community Shield Final

Having both played their final pre-season fixtures over the weekend, Manchester United and Manchester City will begin gearing up for Saturday’s Community Shield Final this week.

The two arch-rivals lock horns again in the same place their seasons culminated: Wembley Stadium.

Not that any of the Old Trafford faithful need a reminder, but the Reds reigned victorious in May’s FA Cup triumph thanks to goals from two Carrington graduates in the form of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. Jeremy Doku halved the deficit in the 87th minute but was unable to take the tie beyond regular time.

Now, both Manchester outfits will be looking to get their seasons off on the right foot by being crowned winners this weekend. The Community Shield certainly isn’t the most sought-after piece of silverware, so pride is on the line more than anything else when play gets underway in the capital.

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City sweating on key man’s fitness before season opener

Ahead of the clash, Pep Guardiola has confirmed an injury setback to first-choice shot-stopper Ederson. He opted to keep the Brazilian on the bench in their 4-2 win over Chelsea on Saturday due to a slight issue, telling reporters: “Ederson had niggles, we didn’t want to take a risk.

“Yesterday, he didn’t train. Today is much better. I think next week will be better, but I didn’t want to take a risk.”

However, it must be noted that in last year’s instalment of the final, which saw the Sky Blues lose to Arsenal through a penalty shootout, Stefan Ortega was deployed from the offset, so it’s highly unlikely Ederson would’ve featured this time around.