Arsenal get their Premier League season underway tonight against Coventry City missing half their first-choice defence. The champions take on the newly-promoted Sky Blues at the Emirates as they look to begin the defence of their crown with a win.
Arsenal team news and injury updates
Mikel Arteta has made two additions to his squad this summer, with Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis joining from Newcastle United and Club Brugge respectively. Guimaraes started in the Community Shield victory over Manchester City on Sunday but was replaced at half-time, later seen wearing an icepack on his leg. While it would appear to be a minor issue, Arteta revealed in his press conference on Friday that his midfielder will be assessed ahead of kick-off.
Tzolis, who provided two assists in the 3-0 win over City, will be hopeful of keeping his place in the side. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka returned to training at the start of last week along with Martin Zubimendi following their post-World Cup breaks. The England duo both carried knocks into the competition, with Saka dealing with an Achilles problem while a neural hamstring issue troubled Rice. Both have benefited from the summer lay-off, starting on the bench in Cardiff last weekend before coming off the bench in the second half.
Defensive absences and predicted lineup
Arsenal's biggest absences are at the back. William Saliba is likely to miss the opening months of the campaign as he continues to recover from his back injury. Jurrien Timber is still to return to first-team training, something he is unlikely to do for another couple of weeks. The Netherlands international has not started a game since March, with his only appearance since then coming off the bench in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera are expected to deputise in place of Timber and Saliba again. Ezri Konsa's imminent arrival will offer another option in both roles, but the finishing touches are still being applied to that £51 million deal. Myles Lewis-Skelly started in midfield against City, and any doubts over Guimaraes' fitness could see him handed another start the day after Arteta declared he is '100 per cent' staying at the club. Arsenal have an otherwise clean bill of health.
Match details and how to watch
Arsenal vs Coventry kicks off tonight (Friday 21 August) at 8pm BST. You can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with streaming also available through the Sky Go app and NOW TV for subscribers. You can also follow all the action with Metro's LIVE matchday blog.
