Arsenal predicted XI vs. Coventry: Timber, Saka & Rice among doubts as Konsa deal nears

The 2026/27 Premier League season gets underway on Friday evening when reigning champions Arsenal welcome newly-promoted Coventry City to the Emirates – but while the home side will start as clear favourites, they do have several fitness concerns to deal with.

Both Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have had extremely limited time to prepare after they were given an extended break following their exploits with England at the World Cup, while Jurriën Timber and William Saliba start the new season with injuries.

Meanwhile, as the Gunners close in on the transfer of Ezri Konsa, there will be questions about who might start in defence. With kick-off fast approaching, we’ve collected all of the latest Arsenal team news and injury updates alongside our prediction for Mikel Arteta’s starting line-up.

Will Rice, Saka or Timber start for Arsenal?

There are doubts over whether either Declan Rice or Bukayo Saka might start against Coventry after they began pre-season preparations later than many of their team-mates, having played through chronic injury issues over the summer.

Rice played through what he described as “terrible pain” in his hamstring during the World Cup, while Saka has an ongoing Achilles issue which requires careful management.

The England pair only returned to full training last week, but did both come off the bench against Manchester City during the Community Shield match. That suggests that they are likely tom be a part of the matchday squad, but are both likely to start on the bench as they work their way back to full match fitness.

Dutch defender Jurriën Timber, meanwhile, is highly unlikely to be involved as he continues his recovery from a serious groin injury which ruled him out of the World Cup. A fixed return date has not been provided, but he is expected to be two or three weeks away from making his comeback.

Centre-back William Saliba, meanwhile, is expected to be absent for at least three months after worsening a significant back injury while playing for France this summer. While the 25-year-old did not require surgery, which could have ended his season before it started, it’s unlikely that he features before November.

Could Ezri Konsa play against Coventry?

Media reports suggest that Arsenal are on the verge of signing Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa for a fee of over £50m, with the England international due in London for a medical on Thursday. At the time of writing a deal had not yet been confirmed, but an announcement is believed to be imminent.

Konsa could perhaps be registered in time to face Coventry, but is highly unlikely to start. The 28-year-old was given additional time to recover from his exertions in North America by Aston Villa and did not feature in any of their pre-season matches or the UEFA Super Cup.

With Konsa still likely to be short of match fitness, it would be a significant surprise were he to make it any further from the bench. Assuming the transfer is completed, his Arsenal debut may have to wait until the Gunners’ next match – which happens to be against his current employers.

Elsewhere, Arteta faces a decision over whether to give Viktor Gyökeres a starting role up front. Kai Havertz was preferred to the Swede for the Community Shield and scored Arsenal’s second goal, and as such appears to have the edge. Meanwhile, speculation over Martín Zubimendi’s future at the Emirates could see him left out.

Arsenal predicted XI vs. Coventry (4-2-3-1): Raya; Calafiori, Magalhães, Mosquera, White; Lewis-Skelly, Guimarães; Tzolis, Ødegaard, Madueke; Havertz.