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2026/27 Premier League
Matchday 1
Arsenal vs Coventry City
Emirates Stadium, London
Friday 21 August, 21:00
Arsenal will open the defence of their Premier League title with a Matchday 1 clash against newly-promoted Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium on the evening of Friday 21 August.
Form and team news
Arsenal won the Premier League title last season, ending seven points clear of nearest chasers Manchester City to end a 22-year championship drought.
Coach Mikel Arteta created a team which thrived on defensive resilience, control and superb set-piece execution. This season, the Gunners have been boosted by the arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, while the major departures have been Leandro Trossard and Christian Norgaard.
Coventry won the EFL Championship last term to earn promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2001. Coach Frank Lampard will be aiming to consolidate the Sky Blues’ place in the top flight.
To that end, Coventry have broken their transfer record several times this window, signing Caleb Yirenkyi, Carl Rushworth, Loum Tchaouna, Aurele Amenda and Frank Onyeka to boost their overall strength.
Quotes
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta: “This has to be the start and this has to be the standard. Excellence has to be our standard and this has to drive to attack the future. The way we behave daily with more and more determination and ambition because we've shown that we've got it. Now we have to show that we belong to this level and we want to increase and take this football club to a different dimension.”
Head-to-head
Arsenal and Coventry have net in 76 matches, dating back as far as 1967. The Gunners have claimed 43 wins compared to 14 for the Sky Blues, while 19 games have been drawn.
The teams last met in the 2013/14 FA Cup, with Arsenal winning 4-0 at home. The Gunners also completed a ‘double’ over Coventry when they were last in the Premier League in the 2000/01 season.
Premier League Matchday 1 Fixtures
Friday 21 August
21:00: Arsenal vs Coventry City
Saturday 22 August
13:30: Hull City vs Manchester United
16:00: Ipswich Town vs Sunderland
16:00: Everton vs Crystal Palace
16:00: Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United
18:30: Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday 23 August
15:00: Manchester City vs Bournemouth
15:00: Brighton vs Aston Villa
17:30: Newcastle United vs Liverpool
Monday 24 August
21:00: Fulham vs Leeds United
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