Sports
Arsenal v Man City: Community Shield 2026 – does winning trophy lead to good season?
Considering the current Premier League champions play in the game every season it is surprisingly rare for the Community Shield winners to go on to win the league.
Since the Premier League started in 1992-93, only eight of the 34 winners of the Charity or Community Shield have done so.
Five of those happened in a six-year spell from 2005 until 2010.
Manchester City, in 2019, were the last team to do so – and before that it was Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in 2011.
Only one of the past 15 winners of the Community Shield have gone on to become champions that season.
Since 1992 the teams who lose the Community Shield have won more league titles that season – 10 in total, including Manchester City for three years in a row between 2021 and 2023.
Last year Crystal Palace beat Liverpool and ended up finishing 15th, although they did go on to win the Conference League. The Reds also had a disappointing domestic campaign, finishing fifth.
Some 47% of the time (16/34) the upcoming season’s Premier League winners had not been involved in the Community Shield – like Arsenal in 2025-26.
And 53% of the time (18/34) the Shield winners have finished above the losers in the league that season.
On 10 occasions the two teams have finished as the top two in the Premier League – with four of those times being the Shield winners top and the losers as runners-up.
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Sports
The Hundred 2026: How would other cross-gender competitions look?
Despite Manchester City’s Women’s Super League win, it’s Arsenal who would come out on top in a combined 2025-26 Premier League and WSL table.
The Gunners get over the line by three points thanks to their seven-point advantage over Man City at the end of the Premier League season.
A formidable strikeforce of Erling Haaland and Khadija Shaw is a scary thought though – the pair netted a combined total of 48 league goals last season.
Despite a 10th-placed finish in the Premier League, Chelsea are fourth thanks to finishing third in the WSL.
West Ham are bottom of the clubs that competed in both competitions, amassing a total of 58 points.
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Sports
Today on Sky Sports Racing: Precise faces More Thunder and Zeus Olympios in Prix Jacques le Marois | Racing News

Precise, More Thunder and Zeus Olympios line up for the 2026 Prix Jacques Le Marois, live on Sky Sports Racing.
2.50 Deauville – Precise takes on More Thunder and Zeus Olympios in Prix Jacques le Marois
Star filly Precise takes on More Thunder and Zeus Olympios in a very competitive renewal of the The Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois.
Four-time Group 1 winner Precise has built herself a very nice profile, having backed up a pair of Group 1 wins at two with victories in the Irish 1000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes. She has since been beaten twice since stepping into open company, being downed by the Juddmonte-owned Blue Bolt on both occasions. The fillies’ allowance could prove crucial here and with Ryan Moore on board, she is in the right hands.
More Thunder will look to reverse the form with Zeus Olympios, with the latter much the best when last seen in Ascot’s Summer Mile. Karl Burke’s charge got the run of the race that day, scooting clean under Sam James. William Haggas’ representative was second in Group 1 company twice prior and, like Zeus Olympios, will look to take top honours for the first time today.
Thesecretadversary is a recent Group 1 scorer in the Prix Jean Prat, which followed a win at the Royal meeting in the Jersey Stakes. He was originally targeted towards the City Of York Stakes but has since been rerouted after Bow Echo and Gstaad were retired and ruled out respectively.
Rayif looks the best of the French contenders but will have to bounce back after disappointing when sent off a 6/4 favourite in the Prix Jean Prat. The step back up to a mile could prove crucial for Mickael Barzalona’s mount, who tasted success over the mile in the French 2000 Guineas earlier this season.
1.33 Deauville – Exciting Avec Toi faces Silver Dominion in Group 3 company
The much talked about Avec Toi faces just four runners in this Group 3 The Aga Khan Studs Prix Francois Boutin.
Christopher Head has said the target this season for this son of No Nay Never is the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc weekend and he looks to be a special talent from his outings thus far. He arrives here with two wins from as many starts, with a debut win at Saint-Cloud followed up by a sparkling showing over this course and distance the last day.
In opposition, Silver Dominion brings stakes form to the table. Oliver Cole’s runner finished second in the Pat Eddery Stakes last time after a fourth-place finish in the Superlative Stakes on July Cup day and could give the favourite a real run for his money.
Godolphin’s Jassas looked promising when winning on debut at Doncaster – a result which has seen the form boosted this week with runner-up Narrjoo winning at Ffos Las on Wednesday. Zakkan cannot be discounted for the formidable Graffard and Barzalona combination despite being winless in three, whilst Cut A Dash completes the quintet and looks to have plenty to find on the rest of the field.
2.35 Southwell – 750,000gns Godolphin yearling Palladas returns
Expensive yearling Palladas returns to the track for the LNAA Critical Care Novice Stakes after being absent since beating Al Azd at Kempton in January.
The form from this maiden victory has produced seven individual winners – most notably Al Azd, who is now rated 109. Roger Varian’s Shadwell gelding was sixth in the London Gold Cup and second in the King George V Stakes before hosing up at Ascot in a class 2 handicap. That form line would suggest a lofty ceiling for Charlie Appleby’s runner today, who will be partnered by the title-chasing Billy Loughnane.
Theory Of Tides’ half-brother Mercantile debuts for Daniel and Clare Kubler and is of interest first time out, but this should really be a one-horse race.
Best of the rest
Back at Deauville, Listed winner Romantic Symphony goes in search of Group 3 honours in the The Aga Khan Studs Prix Lady O’Reilly. She will be rivalled by Calandagan’s half-sister Calasita, who holds an entry in the Champions Fillies And Mares Stakes and was only half a length behind Romantic Symphony last time. Dispatches drops down into Group 3 company under Colin Keane, whilst Hatanka Fal has been there or thereabouts at Listed level but must improve to go close today.
At Southwell, Astrological looks to carry a 6lb penalty to success in the Newark Advertiser Handicap (1.30pm) before Valvano and Legal Reform clash in the Coopers Marquees Handicap at 3.40pm.
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Sports
BBC Sport quiz: Who am I? Guess Premier League footballer No 27
Welcome to our Who am I? game.
The rules are simple. Each day there’s a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible.
After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. The fewer clues you need to get the right answer, the more points you score.
Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional.
So take part and return for more tomorrow.
Today’s player and clues set by BBC Sport’s Flora Snelson.
After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.
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