Arsenal vs Coventry City: Christos Tzolis odds you should back for Premier League opener

Arsenal begin their Premier League title defence against Championship winners Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night.

The Gunners ended a 22-year wait for the trophy last season, and are well-equipped to win back-to-back titles for the first time in the Premier League era.

Mikel Arteta's men have significantly strengthened in the transfer window, signing Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa (pending a successful medical), but one addition that has perhaps gone under the radar is Christos Tzolis.

Having been strongly linked with Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior before he signed a new contract at the Santiago Bernabeu, one could forgive some fans for being a little underwhelmed by Tzolis' arrival, but he has already shown he can become a cult hero at the Emirates.

In this article, we will aim to make the case for why to back Tzolis to make an assist at 2/1 (3.00) against Coventry.

Arsenal vs Coventry City: Tzolis shone in Community Shield

In the Premier League's curtain-raiser between Arsenal and Manchester City in the Community Shield, Tzolis showed exactly what he is capable of.

With the Gunners quickly taking the lead through Riccardo Calafiori's goal, Martin Odegaard then curled the ball towards the Greece international at the far post, and he perfectly directed his header across goal for Kai Havertz to head his team into a 2-0 advantage.

In the second half, Tzolis dribbled down the left-wing before cutting inside and finding Odegaard in the box with a defence-splitting pass, and the Norwegian coolly slotted into the bottom corner to seal Arsenal's comfortable 3-0 victory.

Tzolis' two assists added to the four that he already picked up in pre-season for the North Londoners, showing just how clinical he can be in the final third.

There is a reason that Arsenal thought the £34m signing could adequately replace Besiktas-bound Leandro Trossard: in 52 appearances in all competitions for Club Brugge last season, he managed a staggering 22 goals and 29 assists!

Arsenal vs Coventry City: Why to back Tzolis to make an assist at 2/1 (3.00)

In terms of assists especially, those numbers for Club Brugge and Arsenal are outstanding, and so we would not put it past Tzolis to make at least one more assist against Coventry.

However, while his attacking numbers are impressive, perhaps one thing that goes unnoticed with the winger is his defensive workrate.

As well as his two assists in the Community Shield, Tzolis also made three tackles and two interceptions, meaning he is keen to win the ball back and then launch himself forward from a wide position.

His three key passes in total was also the most recorded by any player on the pitch, which further highlights his ability to rack up assists.

Given some of the other odds offered for player betting for the match, we feel 2/1 (3.00) is a fairly generous price for Tzolis to add to his assists collection.

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