Arsenal will begin their title defence in the opening game of the English Premier League season against newcomers Coventry City.

Mikel Arteta’s side will host Frank Lampard’s team at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, August 22, at 05:00 AEST.

Quick Picks

Our pick: Arsenal to win

Value bet: Arsenal to win to Nil

Long shot: Arsenal 3-0 correct score

Betting Preview

The Gunners will enter the game after a demolition job on Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend, defeating their biggest EPL rivals 3-0 with relative ease.

Arteta will want to see much more of the same from his team this time around, as they dominated from start to finish. However, they’ll be aware of the different type of challenge that Coventry could pose them.

It’s perhaps worth remembering the away trip to Brentford in the 2021/22 season opener, when they were surprisingly beaten 2-0 in a game which many had expected them to win…

Still, it’s the first time Coventry will play a Premier League match in more than 20 years, having last played in the 2000/01 campaign. They secured their place in the top flight of English football as Championship winners with three games to spare.

Former Chelsea and England star Lampard will have the likes of Haji Wright (17 goals last season), Ellis Simms and Brandon Thomas-Asante (both 13 goals) in their attack, and could possibly have Taiwo Awoniyi on board too after agreeing a £17m fee with Nottingham Forest for the striker on Monday.

But whoever leads the line is likely to have very limited chances. Arsenal conceded just 27 goals last season, by far the fewest. While William Saliba is out injured, they still have David Raya in goal and Gabriel in central defence.

Italian Riccardo Calafiore should get the nod at right-back after an impressive Community Shield performance in which he scored after just 23 seconds.

Meanwhile, midfield powerhouses Declan Rice and Bruno Guimarães will look to quickly wrestle any possession Coventry may enjoy off them to launch attacks for the Gunners.

Betting Markets to Watch

Unsurprisingly, as Premier League title favourites, Arsenal are considered the strong favourites to win this opening match.

In fact, the odds are extremely short in the moneyline market, suggesting value may be elsewhere.

Indeed, Arsenal has won each of their last 16 EPL home matches against promoted teams.

Other value worth exploring may be in the BTTS not hitting. The 'Both Teams to Score' market has failed to hit in seven of Arsenal's last eight EPL Week 1 matches.

With Arsenal winning each of its last five EPL night matches to nil, it’s no surprise there’s some additional value for Arsenal to win by nil here.

Player props are always interesting in these games, with Christos Tzolis being one to watch.

The Greek winger arrived at the Gunners in this window and made an immediate impact in pre-season.

Tzolis has recorded six assists as Arsenal warm up for the EPL season, including two against Man City on Sunday. That’s the most of any EPL player in pre-season.

The 24-year-old is known for his creativity, having scored 17 goals and 23 assists in 36 league games for Club Brugge last season.

He’ll have value to score or assist in this game.

Our Prediction

Check the latest Arsenal vs Coventry betting odds at Sportsbet.

Our prediction is that Arsenal will be the likely winners of this game.

We think there’s value in Arsenal to win 2-0, with a 3-0 correct score being our long shot.