The FA Community Shield — curtain raiser to the Premier League season — is here again and two of the best football teams from England are pitted against each other this time as well. Premier League champions Leicester City take on FA Cup winners Manchester United in the Community Shield 2016 on Sunday.
Click here to watch Manchester United vs Leicester City live
A fresh start to a fresh season is the mantra every player and coach believes in. Whatever happened the previous season is best forgotten as the new season turns out to be the be-all and end-all.
Leicester experienced a dream of a season last year and their aim would be to continue that dream for the upcoming season as well. The Foxes, under Claudio Ranieri, took on heavyweights Celtic, PSG and Barcelona in the International Champions Cup 2016, and while they won their game against the Scottish champions, PSG and Barca handed them a heavy defeat.
Nevertheless, getting to play against the powerhouse football clubs is an experience in itself.
"We've had a good pre-season and quite a few games. The quality of the games has been good. We've faced some good opposition to hopefully stand us in good stead for Sunday," said Leicester star midfielder Danny Drinkwater. "I think no matter what the result, we can take confidence from last season.
"Wembley is a great stadium and a great place to play your football. I've played there now and to show what you can do at such a big place is good. It'll be the first time for a couple of lads so that will be exciting for them," the 26-year-old athlete added.
Ranieri has mentioned that he has a fully-fit squad ahead of the match and England forward Jamie Vardy is in contention fo a return.
Manchester United, meanwhile, had an average preseason under Jose Mourinho, and that is a cause for concern. However, with star player Zlatan Ibrahimovic a part of the team this season, expect the Red Devils to be full of confidence.
"That is the first trophy game and that is the first trophy we will bring home. For me, every trophy is very serious. I have collected 30 trophies and I want to collect more of them. I'm not satisfied until I collect everything. That's what we play for. I play to win," said the Sweden football superstar.
"Wherever I came, they also play to win. I didn't come here to lose time. I came here to win. I believe the philosophy is the same for the club, especially a club like this. They are made to win."
Community Shield 2016 schedule
Fixture - Leicester City vs Manchester United
Date - August 7
Time - 4 p.m. BST (8:30 p.m. IST, 11 a.m. EST)
Venue - Wembley stadium, London
TV listings - Sony Six/HD, Sony ESPN (India), BT Sport 2, BT Sport 4 (UK), Fox Sports, Fox Deportes (USA)
