Arsenal vs Coventry: Premier League – prediction, lineups, teams

Who: Arsenal vs Coventry City What: English Premier League Where: Emirates Stadium in London, United Kingdom When: Friday, August 21, at 8pm (19:00 GMT) How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the buildup from 16:00 GMT ahead of our live text commentary stream

Arsenal not only kick off their title defence , but also the entire Premier League season when they entertain Coventry City on Friday.

The match pits the champions of the English top flight flight against the newly promoted winners of the second tier, the Championship.

The match also has a history of an opening day upset – which included a hat-trick hero.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the curtain raiser for the new season.

The Gunners pipped Manchester City to the title , denying Pep Guardiola’s side a fifth straight Premier League title.

A seven-point gap separated first and second, but it wasn’t all plain sailing. A 2-1 City win at Etihad Stadium narrowed the gap to only three points – at which stage The Gunners had only five games to play, while City had six.

Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta’s side won all five of their remaining fixtures, while City succumbed to two draws and a final day defeat, although the league was already decided by that point.