Arsenal vs Coventry betting tips: Three wagers for EPL season opener

Football

Betting

Thu, 20 Aug 2026

The new Premier League season kicks off on Friday night as reigning champions Arsenal host newly-promoted Coventry City at the Emirates.

Odds Now’s Matt Hill takes a closer look at the curtain-raiser and offers up his best betting tips.

Arsenal vs Coventry betting odds

Match winner - Arsenal 1/5, Draw 7/1, Coventry 18/1

Total goals - Under 3 19/20, Over 3 9/10, Exactly 3 3/1

Both Teams To Score - Yes 13/8, No 4/7

First Goalscorer (selected) - Viktor Gyokoroes 3/1, Kai Havertz 9/2, Bukayo Saka 11/2/ Christios Tzolis 6/1, No Goalscorer 16/1, Taiwo Awoniyi 18/1, Gustavo Hamer 35/1

Handicaps - Arsenal -1 8/13, Arsenal -2 6/4, Arsenal -3 7/2

*Best prices shown at time of publish, 11.30AM on Thursday August 20th 2026.

Arsenal vs Coventry match preview

As is tradition, we kick off the new Premier League campaign with last year’s champions in action.

On the face of it, this looks a straightforward opening task for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, opening up on home turf against a Coventry side back in England’s top flight for the first time in 25 years.

The Gunners are the 6/4 favourites to retain their title in 2026-27 ahead of the big kick off, with the continuity both on the pitch and the touchline viewed by many as a major advantage over rival contenders who have undergone summers of huge transition.

Indeed, Arsenal look to have strengthened on last year’s group with Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes appearing a step up on Leandro Trossard and Christian Norgaard – while Ezri Konsa looks increasingly likely to head to North London from Aston Villa.

Coventry will not hold huge expectations ahead of a clash that ultimately do little to define their season. A battle to stay up looks likely, with bookmakers making them no bigger than 5/6 for the drop.

Frank Lampard did a fine job in steering the Sky Blues to last season’s second tier title though and having spent over £140million this summer so far, they are unlikely to go down with a whimper.

Of course, Arsenal are huge favourites for victory here at 1/5 (1.20) best price and they certainly looked in good fettle when brushing aside Manchester City 3-0 in last weekend's Community Shield.

Arsenal vs Coventry betting tips - Matt Hill

NAP - Arsenal to win and over 2.5 match goals - 4/6 (Ladbrokes/ Coral)

In terms of a best bet, backing Arsenal to get the win here with over 2.5 goals in the match looks rock solid at 4/6.

The Gunners won 26 Premier League matches last season and 14 of those saw the overs goal line click. However, that combination became increasingly reliable as the campaign wore on, with seven of their first 12 wins actually going under 2.5.

Between Christmas and the end of the season, nine of their remaining 14 victories saw the goal line covered – including seven straight between December 27th and March 1st before things started to get a bit more nervy in the run-in.

Relaxed, and up against inferior opposition, the Gunners have shown themselves reliable finishers and the quality gap should tell in this one.

NB - Coventry to score - 7/5 (LiveScore Bet)

As good as Arsenal looked going forward in last weekend’s 3-0 success, there were some concerning sides in their usually water-tight backline.

City actually notched up 1.12 expected goals in that 3-0 defeat and tested David Raya on five occasions, with the Spaniard pulling out some good saves to deny Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden – while Erling Haaland was also unusually wasteful with his two opportunities of note.

That should give some encouragement to a Coventry side who scored a whopping 97 goals in their 46 Championship games last term – the biggest tally in the division by some distance, 15 clear of Southampton in second.

Of course, the Sky Blues will be starved of the ball for long periods here but they do know how to find the back of the net. With exciting players in wide areas and midfielders who are all capable of chipping in too, the 7/5 on the visitors to get on the scoresheet feels a bit big.

Even if they are to fall well short come full-time, something like a 3-1 or 4-1 loss works absolutely fine for this selection.

Longshot - Havertz to score, Tzolis to assist, over 6.5 Arsenal corners – 13/2 (Bet365)

Finishing off with a more ambitious Bet Builder, it may be worth looking to exploit the impressive but unexposed Christos Tzolis.

The Greek international has taken little time to settle into his new North London surroundings and has lit up the Gunners’ pre-season with a goal and six assists – including two in last weekend’s Charity Shield win.

He should start on the left flank and, of those most likely to benefit from his creativity, Kai Havertz is the player I’d prefer to chance in the anytime scorer market.

Havertz is likely to battle for a starting berth with Viktor Gyokores this season but judging off last weekend, it will be the German who starts the campaign leading Arsenal’s line. Havertz has his critics but still boasts an impressive goal to game ratio for the Gunners. Furthermore, the pair linked up for Havertz’s goal at Wembley last Sunday.

Finally, let’s chance over 6.5 Arsenal corners. In a game where the hosts should dominate position and be constantly looking to work the ball into wide areas, it could be a long night for Coventry’s full backs.

It was a line they covered in over half their home games last season and against one of the division’s weaker sides, should be covered again here.

Matt Hill’s best bets and staking plan for Arsenal vs Coventry

3pts - Arsenal to win and over 2.5 match goals - 4/6 (Ladbrokes)

1.5pts - Coventry to score - 7/5 (LiveScore Bet)

0.5pt - Christos Tzolis to assist, Kai Havertz to score + over 6.5 Arsenal corners - 13/2 (Bet365 Bet Builder)

Total staked - 5pts

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Matt Hill

Darts

Football

Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.

Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.

He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.

When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.

Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.

When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.