Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven – Match preview and team news

The Football Faithful

·12 Maret 2025

Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven – Match preview and team news

Arsenal are virtually through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the expense of PSV Eindhoven before the second leg has even gotten underway.

The Gunners ran riot last Wednesday as they put seven past their Dutch counterparts in a ruthless display. Noa Lang’s penalty offered the PSV fans a small consolation, but their beloved team need to overturn a six-goal deficit to progress into the next round.

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is expected to heavily rotate tonight and offer some of the players on the periphery of the team some valuable minutes.

Gabriel Martinelli was fit enough to come off the bench on the weekend following a month out with a hamstring injury. With the chances of elimination incredibly slim, this match offers the perfect opportunity for the Brazilian to build up some match fitness.

Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Raheem Sterling have all been out of favour in north London this season but are poised to feature tonight.

PSV need to produce a miraculous comeback if they are to progress into the next stage of Europe’s elite competition. Left-back Mauro Junior is back available for selection after missing the first leg through illness.

Another full-back also made their return on the weekend with Sergino Dest having a cameo off the bench. It was the first time the American international had appeared in almost a year after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last April.

Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven – Match preview and team news

Form

Arsenal: WLDWD

Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier League were dented at the weekend as a draw with Manchester United saw them drop points again.

The Gunners scored at will four days prior to their trip to Old Trafford. But they struggled to find a similar rhythm in Manchester.

Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick broke the deadlock before Declan Rice restored parity with a quarter of an hour remaining.

The chances of Arsenal getting their hands on the Premier League trophy are highly improbable, although not mathematically impossible. Liverpool now have a 15 point gap at the top of the pile, with only nine games to play. However, Mikel Arteta and his players do have a game in hand on the Reds.

Read – William Saliba opens up on Arsenal hunt for major trophy

PSV: WLLLW

Peter Bosz’s side managed to respond to the battering in midweek by beating SC Heerenveen on Saturday. Goals from Ismael Saibari and Guus Til helped them to a 2-1 victory and preserved their unbeaten home record in the Eredivisie.

Prior to that triumph, PSV had actually gone four games without a win in the league. That poor period of form has seen the title slip away from their grasp.

League leaders Ajax are currently eight points ahead of them with nine games remaining in the campaign.

The Eindhoven outfit have an astounding attacking record, netting 75 times in 25 games league outings. That average of three goals per game needs to be doubled if they are to overturn a seemingly unassailable deficit at the Emirates Stadium.

Last Meeting

PSV Eindhoven 1-7 Arsenal, Champions League, 4th March 2024

PSV were well and truly dismantled by an Arsenal side that were in a merciless mood in Eindhoven. But the contest could have gone in a completely different direction if Ismael Saibari’s early shot was a couple of inches lower.

Ivan Perisic flashed a dangerous cross into the middle and David Raya could only push it into the path of the onrushing midfielder. However, Saibari couldn’t control his momentum and the presence of Gabriel saw his shot smash the woodwork.

Jurrien Timber had a happy return to his home nation as he nodded in the opener. Declan Rice’s clipped cross was attacked by the versatile defender who rose above Noa Lang to break the deadlock.

It was a quickfire double for the Gunners with Ethan Nwaneri adding to the deficit. The teenager emphatically lashed in from close-range, with the power of the strike beating the goalkeeper. In the process, he became the third youngest goal scorer ever in a Champions League knockout game.

By the half hour mark Arsenal were three goals to the good. Abject and indecisive defending from PSV allowed Mikel Merino to repossess the ball and calmly slot in the third.

Lang pulled one back just before the interval from the penalty spot after Thomas Partey had impeded Luuk de Jong from a set-piece.

Mikel Arteta’s players resumed their ruthlessness within 61 seconds of the restart. Walter Benitez pushed Nwaneri’s delivery straight into the path of Martin Odegaard who made no mistake.

Less than three minutes later, Arsenal scored their fifth. Clever interchange on the left between Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard resulted in the latter dinking into the back of the net. Poor goalkeeping allowed Odegaard to grab his second from the edge of the box before Calafiori got in on the act with a composed finish.

The moment the Italian’s effort had crossed the line, history was made. It was the first time in the competition that a team had netted seven goals away from home in a knockout match. That’s even more impressive when you consider the Gunners were operating without a recognised striker.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off at the Emirates Stadium will be at 20:00 GMT on Wednesday, 12th March 2025.

Who is the referee?

Slovenian referee Rade Obrenovic will be the match official. Jure Praprotnik and Grega Kordez will assist him while Daniel Smajc will be the fourth official. The VAR will be Alen Borosak and he will be assisted by Tiago Martins.

Read – Arsenal warned club ‘will win nothing’ without forward