March 12, 2025
Arsenal is almost guaranteed a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals after a dominating performance against PSV Eindhoven in the first leg. They will go against PSV by 21:00 today at Emirates stadium.
The Gunners scored multiple goals last Wednesday, establishing a significant lead. Although Noa Lang scored a penalty for PSV, it only slightly eased the disappointment for their fans. The team now faces the daunting task of overcoming a six-goal deficit.
Manager Mikel Arteta is likely to make several changes to the lineup for the upcoming match, giving some lesser-used players a chance to play. Gabriel Martinelli has recently returned from a month-long injury and might feature again to regain his match fitness.
Other players, including Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Raheem Sterling, who have not played much this season, are also expected to participate.
For PSV Eindhoven, they need a remarkable comeback to advance in the tournament. Mauro Junior, a left-back, is now available after missing the first leg due to illness. Meanwhile, Sergino Dest made a brief appearance last weekend, marking his return after almost a year away from the field due to a serious knee injury.
Overall, this match presents Arsenal with a unique opportunity to rotate their squad and allow some players to gain important playing time. PSV, on the other hand, face an enormous challenge to reverse the first leg’s outcome as they aim to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League took a hit after they drew with Manchester United. They had a strong performance four days earlier but struggled in Manchester. Bruno Fernandes scored first for United, then Declan Rice equalized for Arsenal. With Liverpool 15 points ahead and only nine games left, Arsenal’s title hopes are slim, even though they do have a game in hand.
PSV bounced back from a tough loss by defeating SC Heerenveen 2-1, with goals from Ismael Saibari and Guus Til. This win kept their unbeaten home record intact in the Eredivisie. However, they had previously gone four league games without a win, allowing Ajax to pull eight points ahead. With an impressive average of three goals per game, PSV will need to maintain this scoring rate to close the gap at the Emirates Stadium.Predicted Line-ups
Arsenal predicted XI: Neto, White, Kiwior, Calafiori, Tierney; Jorginho, Zinchenko; Sterling, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Butler-Oyedeji.
PSV predicted XI: Benitez, Ledezma, Flamingo, Boscagli, Junior, Saibari, Veerman, Til; Bakayoko, de Jong, Lang.
© Copyrights Sixsports. All Rights Reserved.