Arsenal legend Petit believes Arsenal will not have an easy time winning their Premier League opener at home against Coventry.

Arsenal will kick off their new Premier League season on Saturday morning Beijing time (CEST) at the Emirates Stadium against promoted Coventry, managed by Lampard.

Last weekend, Arteta's team showed good form by defeating Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield. Although Arsenal are widely regarded as the overwhelming favorites for this match, the former midfielder, who won the Double with the Gunners, believes that Coventry, returning to the top flight after 25 years, will pose more problems than outsiders expect.

Petit told the English media: "Facing a newly promoted team in the first round is never easy, because you might not have found your rhythm yet, while the opponent will be very eager for a positive start. However, Arsenal's core squad has been relatively stable for many years, and the players are very familiar with each other. We all know the situation of newly promoted teams; many teams struggle to survive in their first season after promotion, and some even move between two leagues for years. This will be a challenge for Lampard and Coventry."

Petit continued: "Playing against the defending champions is a huge challenge. If Coventry can seize the opportunity to make a good impression, it will boost the team's confidence, which is very important. If they are beaten, for example, 4-0 by Arsenal, and show absolutely nothing on the field, then their confidence will be difficult to regain. For many reasons, the first match is crucial for setting the tone for the entire long season. If Arsenal can maintain the same attitude, then Coventry will have a very, very difficult time."

Meanwhile, Lampard hopes Coventry can draw inspiration from Sunderland and Leeds United. Both teams managed to stay up relatively easily last season, becoming the first promoted teams to successfully remain in the Premier League since the 2022/23 season.

Currently, several prediction companies list Coventry as relegation favorites, along with Hull City and Ipswich, who were promoted with them, also considered likely to be directly relegated back to the Championship. However, Lampard sees hope in Sunderland and Leeds United's experience of staying up last season.

Lampard said: "They changed some of the external narratives. These stories are very important to us, and we have thoroughly analyzed these two teams. Seeing how they played certainly inspired us, but ultimately it's up to us to write our own story. Of course, we have studied their experiences. Our goal is to remain confident in our way of playing, and our job is to develop a strategy for the players for each match, and they deserve to be here."

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