Postpublished at 18:41 BST
Arsenal v Coventry (20:00 BST)
For those of you eagle-eyed enough, you may have noticed I posted the below graphic but jumped a month to September.
You passed the test. Well played.
Summary
Premier League returns as Arsenal begin title defence against promoted Coventry
Sky Blues playing first top-flight match in 25 years
Will Gunners retain title? Have your say at top of page
Heard about our new Match of the Day Predictor game? Predict this weekend's scores here before tonight's game kicks off
Send us your views
Postpublished at 18:41 BST
Coming up on this first weekendpublished at 18:40 BST
Arsenal v Coventry (20:00 BST)
And this is what's on offer in this opening weekend of the new Premier League season as teams look to get going with three points.
Of course, we'll have live texts of all 10 matches.
Arsenal's wait comes to an endpublished at 18:37 BST
Arsenal v Coventry (20:00 BST)
Sunday, 24 May 2026 is a day that will live long in the memory of every Arsenal fan.
After 22 long years, the Gunners finally got their hands on the Premier League trophy and what a celebration it was as they turned London red.
Just look at those faces!
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesWelcome back!published at 18:32 BST
Arsenal v Coventry (20:00 BST)
Yep, that's right. The Premier League is back and we will be live texting all 380 games just for you.
And welcome to the very first of this season as champions Arsenal take on newly promoted Coventry at the Emirates Stadium.
We've got loads to get through, so let's get right to it.
Image source, Getty ImagesPostpublished at 18:30 BST
Arsenal v Coventry (20:00 BST)
It's back.
Image source, Getty Images
Premier League Scores & Fixtures
Premier League Table
On Friday 21st August
Skip to table keyMatch Participants:
- Arsenal, Position 1, Points 0
- Coventry City, Position 7, Points 0
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Key
- Position 1, 2, 3, 4: UEFA Champions League
- Position 5: UEFA Europa League
- Position 18, 19, 20: Relegation
Please note:All times are UK. Some content is provided by third parties, is subject to change, and is unverified.
Season so far
Premier League
Key, Arsenal v Coventry
League position, Arsenal 1st, Coventry City 7thTotal points, Arsenal 0, Coventry City 0
Form guide
All competitions
Arsenal won
v Manchester City
3
0
Community Shield
Coventry City won
v Monaco
2
0
Club Friendlies
Arsenal draw
v Como
1
1
Club Friendlies
Coventry City won
v Espanyol
3
1
Club Friendlies
Arsenal lose
v Borussia Dortmund
2
3
Emirates Cup
Coventry City draw
v Northampton Town
0
0
Club Friendlies
Arsenal lose
v Real Betis
1
3
Club Friendlies
Coventry City won
v Watford
0
4
Championship
Arsenal won
v Girona
1
4
Club Friendlies
Coventry City won
v Wrexham
3
1
Championship
Previous scores
All competitions
FA Cup
Arsenal 4 , Coventry City 0 on the 24th of January 2014
Arsenal
Coventry City
24th of January 2014
League Cup
Arsenal 6 , Coventry City 1 on the 26th of September 2012
Arsenal
Coventry City
26th of September 2012
Premier League
Coventry City 0 , Arsenal 1 on the 3rd of February 2001
Coventry City
Arsenal
3rd of February 2001
Match Facts
Arsenal and Coventry City have only faced in the opening league game of a season once – in 1993-94, the Sky Blues won 3-0 at Highbury thanks to a hat-trick from Mick Quinn.
This is the first Premier League meeting between Arsenal and Coventry since February 2001, a 1-0 win for the Gunners at Highfield Road. Since Coventry did the double over Arsenal in 1993-94, they’ve won just one of 14 top-flight meetings (D5 L8), a 3-2 win on Boxing Day in 1999.
Arsenal have won their opening match in each of the last four Premier League seasons, since losing 2-0 to Brentford in 2021-22. The Gunners have only won their first match in five in a row once before in their league history, doing so between 2001-02 and 2005-06.
This is Coventry City’s first Premier League campaign since 2000-01, when they started their season with a 3-1 defeat to Middlesbrough. They’ve not started a league season with a win since beating Nottingham Forest 2-1 in the Championship in 2021-22 (D2 L2 in four seasons since).
This will be Coventry’s first league match at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, though they’ve lost there in the League Cup (1-6 in 2012) and FA Cup (0-4 in 2014). Only two teams (including Arsenal) have won their first ever league match at the ground – West Ham in April 2007 and Hull City in September 2008.
Since the start of 2023-24, Arsenal have won 17 of their 18 Premier League games against promoted sides, with the exception a 2-2 draw at Sunderland last season. At home, the Gunners are unbeaten in 45 Premier League home games against promoted sides, the longest such run by any team in the competition’s history (W40 D5).
This is Coventry City’s first Premier League match in 25 years and 94 days, the longest gap between games by a side in the competition’s history. They’ve lost their last seven away league games against the reigning top-flight champions, most recently going down 4-2 at Manchester United in April 2001.
Arsenal – who won their final five league games en route to winning the title last season – have won each of their three MD1 Premier League games as reigning champions (most recently v Everton in 2004-05), with two of those coming against promoted sides (Nottingham Forest in 1998-99, Birmingham in 2002-03).
Mikel Arteta lost his first ever managerial meeting with Coventry’s Frank Lampard, in what was his first home game as Arsenal boss back in December 2019 (1-2 vs Chelsea). Since then, the Spaniard is unbeaten in all five against Lampard in all competitions, winning the last four in a row (D1).
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has won 149 of his 248 Premier League games in charge. Victory here would see him become just the fifth manager to reach 150 victories in fewer than 250 games in the competition, after Pep Guardiola (204), José Mourinho (231), Jürgen Klopp (237), and Alex Ferguson (247).
Please note:All times are UK. Some content is provided by third parties, is subject to change, and is unverified.
