The English football season begins with the FA Community Shield match between English Premier League champions Manchester United and FA Cup champions Portsmouth at the Wembley stadium.

The defending Premier League champions will be captained by Gary Neville, who is making only his second competitive appearance since breaking his ankle in March 2007. United will be without the talents of the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, who is recovering from ankle surgery, while United’s team has been further depleted by pre-season injuries to Owen Hargreaves, Ben Foster, Louis Saha and Park Ji-Sung.

The Portsmouth line-up is unlikely to show many changes from the side that won the FA Cup in May. Sol Campbell looks likely to recover from a virus, but midfielders Lassana Diarra and Sean Davis could miss out after sustaining ankle and hip injuries respectively, while match-winner Nwankwo Kanu is likely to start on the substitutes’ bench. Peter Crouch who moved from Liverpool this summer will make his Pompey debut.