Arsenal welcome Coventry City to north London for Friday evening’s Premier League season-opening fixture
Frank Lampard’s Coventry City team enter the encounter hoping to pull off a surprise result against Arsenal
Frank Lampard has stated that Ephron Mason-Clark and Jack Rudoni could feature against Arsenal, although their participation remains uncertain.
The pair were key contributors for Coventry last term as they swept to the Championship crown, guaranteeing their place back in the top flight.
The Sky Blues are now preparing for the campaign’s opening match against the reigning champions at the Emirates, but forward Haji Wright will definitely not play.
The United States international was absent from recent friendly matches against Espanyol and Monaco having netted 17 league goals during the previous campaign. He is now recovering from a quad problem that may force him to miss up to the first quarter of the season in a significant setback for Lampard.
The former England international commented that Wright would not be ready for the Arsenal match and would be unavailable for some time due to a serious quad injury, expressing disappointment for both the player and the club. He noted it would certainly be several weeks and potentially up to 12 weeks.
Wright has contributed 49 goals and 11 assists across 124 matches for the newly-promoted side.
Nevertheless, Coventry have strengthened their attacking options to complement existing forwards such as Ellis Simms.
Burnley wideman Loum Tchaouna, Fenerbahce young forward Sadiki Cherif and Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi have all completed moves to the club.
Coventry have further enhanced their midfield and defensive areas by securing Ghana international Caleb Yirenkyi, defender Aurele Amenda from Eintracht Frankfurt and the re-signing of Gustavo Hamer.
Haji Wright will sit out Coventry’s visit to Arsenal
Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth has also made his move permanent after impressing during his loan spell from Brighton.
Lampard acknowledges that securing even a single point at Arsenal would represent a significant achievement.
Regarding the challenge ahead, Lampard expressed his desire for the team’s display to demonstrate they are not approaching the fixture with apprehension. While expressing deep respect for Arsenal, he emphasised this should not translate into a passive approach. He expressed hope that Coventry could prove themselves as a competitive side capable of achieving things this term.
He stated that a result at Arsenal would not determine their season, but rather consistent performances throughout the campaign, while noting Coventry aim to compete in every fixture and approach each match on its own merits.