| Date: Saturday, 29 August Venue: Wembley Stadium, London Kick-off: 12:30 BST |
| Coverage: Live on BBC One TV from 12:15 BST, live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live |
Women’s Super League champions Chelsea and FA Cup holders Manchester City meet in Saturday’s historic showpiece at Wembley Stadium in the Women’s Community Shield.
A 12-year absence, empty stands, a fierce rivalry, new signings and a first double-header – here are just a few things we can expect to see in a match that will be broadcast live on BBC One from 12:15 BST.
Wembley, double-header & a return of the competition
It will be the first time since 2008 that a Women’s Community Shield trophy has been contested.
The last winners were Arsenal, who beat Everton 1-0 at Moss Rose stadium in Macclesfield.
This year, the women’s game will be played four hours before the men’s match between Premier League champions Liverpool and FA Cup winners Arsenal (16:30 BST).
It is the first time the Football Association has held back-to-back Community Shield matches and it will be the first time the women’s contest takes place at Wembley.
No fans but live on BBC TV
The 90,000-capacity stadium – which hosted the women’s FA Cup final in May 2019 – will be empty aside from staff and media because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It will be shown on free-to-air TV on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website from 12:15 BST on Saturday.
Gabby Logan will present the show alongside former England internationals Dion Dublin and Laura Bassett. Jonathan Pearce and former England midfielder Karen Carney will provide match commentary.
There will also be commentary on BBC Radio 5 lrom 12:30 BST, with live text coverage on the BBC Sport website.
You can catch highlights of the men’s equivalent on Match of the Day on BBC One from 22:20 BST.
Top two rivalry in the WSL
The contest will feature the top two teams in the WSL after Chelsea were awarded the 2019-20 title ahead of Manchester City on a points per game basis when the season ended prematurely because of coronavirus.
Manchester City were one point clear at the top, with Chelsea in second place with a game in hand, so Gareth Taylor’s side will be keen to show why they feel they are the best team in England.
A fierce rivalry between the teams has developed in recent years, with 10 meetings having taken place since January 2018.
The last game on 23 February was a thrilling 3-3 draw in what proved to be crucial to the destination of the title because it was their final WSL game before coronavirus hit.
Chelsea won the league game in December thanks to two late goals from Bethany England and Maren Mjelde but City knocked the Blues out in the semi-finals on their way to FA Cup glory last season.
World Cup stars & new signings
Manchester City have attracted World Cup winners Samantha Mewis and Rose Lavelle from the United States.
Mewis is in line to make her debut after appearing in a recent friendly victory over Everton, scoring once and assisting twice.
City also signed Everton’s top scorer Chloe Kelly to add to their already impressive attacking line-up, which includes England international Ellen White.
Chelsea have been busy too, bringing in Bayern Munich midfielder Melanie Leupolz, Silvana Flores from Arsenal, England youth international Niamh Charles from Liverpool and Canada international Jessie Fleming.
Australian international Sam Kerr also joined Chelsea in November and has made six appearances so far.
Taylor’s fresh start & Hayes’ experience
It will also be the first competitive fixture for Manchester City boss Taylor, who took over from Nick Cushing in May following his move to men’s Major League Soccer side New York City.
Taylor, who played for City between 1998 and 2001 and has managed the men’s academy team, faces arguably his toughest test in his opening match at Wembley.
He is chasing six trophies this season, starting with the Community Shield and the conclusion of last season’s FA Cup, as well as the WSL title, the 2020 FA Cup, the Continental Cup and the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Emma Hayes, recently named the WSL Manager of the Season, is chasing a seventh trophy in her eighth year with the club.
She oversaw an undefeated season for Chelsea in 2019-20 so will not want to lose the opening match of this campaign against their fiercest domestic rivals.
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