What to expect in the first game of the 26/27 Premier League Season: Arsenal vs Coventry preview

Last season saw the Sky Blues finish on an astounding 95 points to win the EFL Championship – 11 points clear of fellow promoted side Ipswich Town. They have certainly invested in the squad, including the re-signings of Carl Rushworth and Gustavo Hamer for fees, as they look to avoid returning back to the 2^nd tier imminently.

Arsenal have seen plenty of changes in their squad, with the departures of Leandro Trossard and Christian Norgaard allowing for room in the squad for incomings. One that has caught the eye of many is the transfer of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle for an estimated fee of £75 million, who is expected to start in their opening fixture.

The Gunners’ home form stood out last season, as they won 15 of their 19 home games whilst also keeping clean sheets in their last five home games across all competitions. Given this, Lampard may set up slightly on the defensive side to avoid being too open against the title holders’ talented attack - although they weren't ruthless in the goalscoring stats, new signing Tzolis registered 40 G+A in the Belgian First Division, so he will no doubt want to continue his goal contributionsuccess.

Former Coventry man Viktor Gyokeres may come back to haunt his old club after scoring 14 goals in his last Premier League campaign.

Most recently, Arsenal secured a 3-0 win over Manchester City to lift the Community Shield, with goals from Calafiori, Havertz and Odegaard and a brace of assists for Christos Tzolis. Coventry played their final preseason friendly against Monaco at the Coventry Building Society Arena, in which they cruised to a 2-0 victory thanks to 1^st half goals from Ellis Simms and Loum Tchaouna.

Coventry will not face a tougher test than this on paper, but there is always the possibility of a shock result on a Friday night under the lights. The game kicks off at 8pm BST and is live on Sky Sports.