Why is Bruno Guimaraes not playing for Arsenal today against Coventry City?

Arsenal are set to begin their Premier League title defence as they host Coventry City in the PL 2026-27 season opener today (Friday, August 21).

As Mikel Arteta has named his first squad in the new season, Bruno Guimaraes is missing from the list. The Brazilian has not made the 20-player squad list, sparking questions among Arsenal fans.

Why is Bruno Guimaraes not in Arsenal Squad Today?

Bruno Guimaraes will miss Arsenal's Premier League season opener against Coventry City on Friday after the Brazilian midfielder failed to recover in time from an injury picked up during the Community Shield.

Guimaraes, Arsenal's £75 million summer signing from Newcastle United, made his competitive debut for the Gunners in last weekend's Community Shield victory over Manchester City. However, he was substituted at half-time and was later seen with an ice pack strapped to his right thigh, raising concerns over his fitness.

Mikel Arteta had initially remained hopeful that the midfielder would recover in time for the Coventry clash. The Arsenal boss said Guimaraes was "evolving really well", but the 28-year-old ultimately did not make the matchday squad.

Reports now suggest that the problem could be more significant than initially expected. The Sun reported that Guimaraes could face several weeks on the sidelines, although the exact extent of the injury is yet to be confirmed.

The timing is particularly unfortunate for the Brazilian, who was expected to play a major role in Arsenal's midfield following his arrival from Newcastle.

His absence, however, gives Myles Lewis-Skelly an opportunity to return to the starting XI. Rice replaces Guimaraes in midfield for the Coventry fixture, while Arsenal have gone with Odegaard and Myles Lewis-Skelly as the other two in midfield.

Arsenal Starting XI vs Coventry

David Raya; Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori; Martin Odegaard, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis