The new season of English football kicks off on August 5 when Chelsea and Manchester United face off each other in the Community Shield in the new Wembley Stadium.

Both the teams will be looking at getting the tactics and team selection right before the start of a crucial season for both the managers. While Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping for a second successive league triumph over his rivals, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will be desperate to reclaim the trophy that had been his since 2004 before Manchester United Premier League win last season.

The competition has been a sort of a bad-luck charm for title winners, Chelsea's victory over Arsenal in 2005 put to bed any superstitions over winning the competition. Manchester United is arguably the most successful club to have played in the competition, having won it 11 times and sharing with the other team 4 times. The club has also featured in the highest scoring game in the competition when it defeated Swindon Town 8-4 in 1911. Chelsea meanwhile has won the Shield just 3 times.

In spite of all the pre-season comments, Jose Mourinho himself will be under immense pressure, both from the fans as well as the board. Chelsea's inability to win either the Champions League or the Premiership, and the mid season clash with owner Roman Abramovich has meant that the Portuguese manager has just one season to salvage his job at Chelsea. The appointment of Avram Grant as the director of football has not helped matters.

Pre-season transfer dealings at the club have sent out a strong signal that big-spending days are over for Chelsea. The club has signed four new players this season, with three of them coming on as free transfers. Steven Sidwell, Claudio Pizarro and Tal Ben-Haim have all signed for Chelsea on free while Florent Malouda was signed for a sum though to be around £13.5 million. The club is also seeking to complete the transfer of defender Alex after applying for a work permit.

Meanwhile Manchester United have splashed cash like never before, completing the signings of Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson for a combined sum in excess of £50 million. Both Nani and Anderson are tipped as rising stars by football pundits and Ferguson is already looking for life at Giggs and Scholes who are in the twilight of their careers.

The match will be played in front of a packed Wembley crowd with Chelsea v Manchester United kicking off Community Shield live at 15.00 (GMT).