Champions vs promoted sides: What history tells us about the Premier League opener

Dubai: The first game of the 2026/27 Premier League season is almost here and for newly promoted Coventry City, a daunting challenge awaits them.

The Sky Blue’s will make the trip to the Emirates on Friday night where they take on the champions, Arsenal.  

As the 11th meeting between a reigning Premier League champion and a promoted side on the opening day, this clash is set to attract even more attention as the curtain-raiser to the new season.

Can Coventry pull off the unthinkable, or will Arsenal cruise to victory in front of their home fans?

As expected, when looking back at the history of this type of fixture, the previous meetings favoured the champions... except one.

Of the previous 10 Premier League opening-day fixtures between the reigning champions and a newly promoted side, the promoted team has managed to win just once.

That victory came in 2016, when newly promoted Hull City stunned reigning champions Leicester City 2-1 at the MKM Stadium. The other nine fixtures have seen the reigning champions at least avoid defeat, underlining just how difficult the opening-day challenge has been for teams stepping up from the Championship.

Arsenal will head into the clash with a strong record against newly promoted opposition, having won 17 of their last 18 Premier League games against promoted teams, with the only exception a 2-2 draw against Sunderland last season.

Coventry have a major challenge ahead of them beyond simply facing the champions. They are returning to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years, while their opening five fixtures have been rated among the toughest of the three promoted sides.

There is a familiar feel to this opening-day clash, with Mikel Arteta and Frank Lampard renewing an old rivalry only this time, they will be going head-to-head from the touchline.

Lampard may have had the upper hand during his playing days, but the roles are very different this time around. Arteta enters the fixture as the reigning Premier League champion, while Lampard is preparing Coventry for their first top-flight campaign in 25 years. Arsenal’s boss also has the managerial advantage in their head-to-head meetings, winning four, drawing one and losing one against Lampard.