Two sides struggling to pick up the results they need to stay the course in their domestic title races meet in Eindhoven on Tuesday with injury-racked Arsenal still strong favorites to advance past PSV. Since a January victory in Girona secured them a top eight berth, Mikel Arteta’s side have been rocked by injuries first to Gabriel Martinelli and then Kai Havertz, the attack that they were then able to roll out securing just one win from their last four matches as Arsenal crashed out of the EFL Cup and saw their Premier League title hopes fade away.
It has been no less trying for PSV lately. A Ryan Flamingo goal might have taken them past Juventus in the knockout playoffs, but domestically Peter Bosz’s side have only one win since the end of January. Last season an arguably better side were held at home and beaten 4-0 at the Emirates. It will take quite something for the Dutch giants to upset the odds across the two legs.
Viewing information
- Date: Tuesday, March 4 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Philips Stadion — Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Watch: Paramount+
- Odds: Real Madrid +280; Draw +240; Arsenal +100
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Team news
PSV: All three of the USMNT stars who have had such successful runs in Eindhoven will be missing when PSV take the field on Tuesday night. Sergino Dest is of course a long term absentee with a knee injury while Ricardo Pepi suffered a similar issue, season-ending for the striker, last month. Malik Tillman, meanwhile, is hoping he can return from his ankle injury before the campaign is over. Meanwhile Esmir Bajraktarevic, signed from New England Revolution, and Mauro Junior are doubts with illness.
When they met at the Emirates last season, PSV seemed to struggle to enforce their more aggressive approach from the Eredivisie on a bigger, stronger, more mobile opponent who cut them to ribbons in a few minutes. Still Bosz is not minded to shake things up. “I’m not going to change my playing style,” he said. “I adapt to the opponent every match, but not the philosophy. It’s not just one thing, it’s a lot of things, sometimes small things. We have to do better defensively.”
Possible PSV XI: Benitez; Ledezma, Flamingo, Boscagli, Mauro Junior; Veerman, Saibari, Schouten; Lang, De Jong, Perisic
Arsenal: It is as you were and will be for the foreseeable future where Arsenal are concerned. Strikers Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus won’t be back until next season — nor will defender Takehiro Tomiyasu — while neither Bukayo Saka nor Gabriel Martinelli are expected to be available until after the international break.
The selection questions for Mikel Arteta will be numerous. Is Ben White ready for his first start of the season and will Myles Lewis-Skelly return to the XI at full back? In midfield should it be Thomas Partey or Jorginho anchoring the side? Might there even be a case to drop Mikel Merino deeper or drop him entirely and return to the front three of Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri? Such are the Gunners’ struggles in front of goal lately — two goals in their last four games — it is hard to see the can’t miss option for their side.
Possible Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard
Prediction
Expect Arsenal to keep this tight at the back and try to nick one at the other end. It might just work. PICK: PSV 0, Arsenal 1
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