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Your weekly briefing on Arsenal, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri<\/p>\n
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Coventry will be without key striker Haji Wright against Arsenal, Frank Lampard has confirmed.<\/p>\n
Wright was Coventry\u2019s top scorer last season, netting 17 goals in the Championship winning campaign and thus helping the side secure a return to the Premier League after a 26-year absence.<\/p>\n
The Sky Blues have the daunting task of facing the Premier League champions away from home in the opening game of the new season and hopes of pulling off a shock result have been hit by the USMNT\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n
As revealed by Lampard in the pre-match press conference, the 28-year-old will miss the trip to the Emirates Stadium and could be out of action for up to 12 weeks because of a quad injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaji Wright won\u2019t be available for the Arsenal game,\u201d Lampard told reporters. \u201cHe won\u2019t be available for a little while, he\u2019s got a very serious quad injury which is disappointing for Haji and for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s certainly going to be a number of weeks, could even be up to 12 weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Wright\u2019s absence against Arsenal, Lampard could hand Taiwo Awoniyi or Sidiki Cherif a Coventry debut with the pair arriving this summer from Nottingham Forest and Fenerbahce respectively for a reported combined fee of just under \u00a330million.<\/p>\n
Another option to lead the line in north London is Ellis Simms. The former Everton youngster scored 13 Championship goals last season, a return only bettered by Wright across the entire Coventry squad.<\/p>\n
The good news for Coventry, however, is Ephron Mason-Clark and Jack Rudoni are both in contention to face the Gunners after experiencing fitness issues during pre-season.<\/p>\n
Transfer news LIVE: Arsenal triple deal, Alvarez boost; Man Utd medical; Chelsea signing; Liverpool latest<\/p>\n
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Most Londoners don't want Mayor Sadiq Khan to seek fourth term, new poll shows<\/p>\n