Coventry's last win vs Arsenal remembered as Premier League opening day fixtures announced
Coventry City are set to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium at 8pm on 21 August in their first fixture since returning to the Premier League.
The Premier League have announced their fixture schedule for the 2026-27 season, with Frank Lampard's newly-promoted side set to be thrown in at the deep end.
After winning the Championship last time out, the Sky Blues will head into the new season with optimism of staying in the top flight and avoiding relegation.
They will aim to replicate the successes of Sunderland and Leeds United, who finished in 7th and 14th respectively, and avoid Burnley's errors as they dropped back down.
Arsenal, meanwhile, head into the new season as Premier League champions and Mikel Arteta will be determined not to rest on his laurels.
The Gunners will be confident that their opening-day clash against Coventry will get them off to a winning start, with the two clubs not having faced each other since 2012.
When did Coventry City last beat Arsenal?
As well as going back well over a decade to find the last time Coventry played against Arsenal, it has been 27 years since the Sky Blues last beat the Gunners in 1999.
A Coventry side managed by Gordon Strachan beat Arsene Wenger's team 3-2 at Highfield Road in front of a crowd of 22,757.
Gary McAllister scored the opener for the hosts after just six minutes, before Mustapha Hadji made it 2-0 shortly before half-time.
Freddie Ljungberg then pulled one back for Arsenal after 67 minutes, before Coventry went two ahead again just five minutes later thanks to a goal from Robbie Keane.
Davor Suker's 87th-minute strike made for a nervy last few minutes, but Coventry held on to secure all three points, and they will hope for the same in this season's Premier League clash.
However, you would have to go back to 1993 for the last time Coventry beat Arsenal away from home, with a 3-0 win at Highbury thanks to a hattrick from Mick Quinn.
What are Coventry's aims for the 2026-27 season?
Ahead of the start of the Premier League season, Coventry's aim is clear, they want to secure survival and potentially push higher up the league table.
It will be a difficult ask to replicate the success of Europa League-bound Sunderland, however, unless they are prepared to spend big in the summer transfer window.
Football Insider revealed in April that Coventry are planning a big-spending window as they aim to back Lampard to achieve success in the top flight.
The boss' record at the top level is far from exceptional, but there is renewed hope he could guide this group to safety with some key additions to his squad.
However, Lampard's record against Arsenal is poor, with just one win from six games against the Gunners, and that could make for a tricky start to their campaign.