Arteta makes 2 changes | Predicted Arsenal XI vs Coventry City after fresh injury doubt
Arsenal welcome newly promoted Coventry City to the Emirates Stadium tonight for their Premier League opener.
The Gunners ended their 22-year wait for the English crown last term and will aim to start their title defence on a good note against the Sky Blues.
Arsenal secured a statement 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend, and manager Mikel Arteta may not make many changes.
The London giants have won each of the previous five meetings against Coventry, but have not faced each other in the Premier League since February 2001.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Predicted Line-up:
David Raya returned to competitive action for the Gunners in style last weekend. The Spaniard looked solid in goal and made a crucial save in either half to secure a clean sheet and a comfortable win. He will be eyeing his fourth-straight Golden Glove award this campaign.
It should be the same backline from the victory over the Cityzens. Ben White was brilliant with his overlapping runs from right back against Man City. Riccardo Calafiori took no time to make the headlines, scoring after just 24 seconds on the clock in Cardiff.
The Italian should continue at left-back ahead of Piero Hincapie. With William Saliba injured, Cristhian Mosquera is poised to partner Gabriel Magalhaes in the heart of the defence. That could change in the coming weeks with the club about to confirm Ezri Konsa’s arrival from Aston Villa.
Myles Lewis-Skelly has reacted tremendously to the transfer speculation with a couple of stand-out displays against Como and Man City from midfield. He scored in the friendly against the former before delivering a superb defence-splitting assist for Calafiori in the Community Shield last weekend.
The youngster should be in line to start and could have a new partner in Declan Rice in midfield. Bruno Guimaraes suffered a knock to his right thigh during the Man City encounter. While Arteta has assured that he should be fine, the summer signing may not be risked from the starting XI.
In the final third, Christos Tzolis is a nailed-on starter on the left wing after bagging two assists on his Gunners debut. Martin Odegaard has looked his vintage self since the World Cup with Norway. He had a good mini pre-season and ran the show against Man City, scoring the third goal.
The club captain is an obvious starter in the number 10 position. Similarly, Kai Havertz has secured his spot up front ahead of Viktor Gyokeres after scoring against the Cityzens. The only change in attack should happen on the right wing, with Bukayo Saka taking over from Noni Madueke.
Madueke came into several good shooting positions against Enzo Maresca’s side, but lacked the cutting edge with his finishing. He was quite good with his link-up play, but there is no denying that Saka is the undisputed starter when fit. Saka may not be fully fit after reporting late for pre-season and could play for an hour before being replaced by his compatriot.
How Arsenal could line up vs Coventry
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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