Arsenal will be making an appearance in the Champions League after six years when they host PSV Eindhoven. By placing second in the 2022–23 Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s team earned a spot in Europe’s top tournament. Their Dutch counterparts atoned for their playoff defeat to Rangers last summer.
Preview (Arsenal vs. PSV Eindhoven)
When the Emirates Stadium last hosted a Champions League match, Arsene Wenger’s 2016–17 Arsenal team attempted to overcome a 5–1 last–16 deficit against familiar opponents Bayern Munich, only to endure a similar humiliation in front of their own supporters. Arsenal will finally dine at Europe’s top table once again in the coming weeks. Even though qualification was only a consolation prize after their title charge crashed. What followed that 10-2 humiliation was Wenger’s belated departure, the disastrous Unai Emery era, and a rare season without any form of European football.
Despite this, the Gunners have yet to win the Champions League. They have avoided one of the most daunting group-stage draws. Their competition for the top two spots in Group B is between two struggling teams Lens and Sevilla. Leandro Trossard gave Arsenal the spark they needed to defeat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park. Previously, they had not won since Arsene Wenger took over as manager in 2017–18. Arsenal is still unbeaten in all competitions this season despite their lackluster offensive play thus far. The Gunners have struggled at home to keep clean sheets. Their solitary victory at the Emirates came against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the last day of the previous campaign. An upcoming North London derby may also be on Arteta’s team’s thoughts.
Lightning would not strike twice for the Gers this time around, after easily defeating Sturm Graz in qualifying. Peter Bosz’s team swept the Scottish giants aside 7-3 on aggregate. The Farmers still only have one European Cup to their name from the 1987–88 season, when they defeated Benfica on penalties in the final, and a 5-1 home thrashing in Eindhoven sealed PSV’s return to the Champions League group stages, where they had not been since the 2018–19 season.
Team News
Gabriel Martinelli injured his hamstring when rushing through to score a goal that was ultimately disallowed. It added to Arsenal’s list of known absences. The list included Thomas Partey (groin), Jurrien Timber, and Mohamed Elneny (both knee). Due to his game-winning cameo at Goodison Park, David Raya replaced Aaron Ramsdale in goal. However, Arteta has said that he will continue to rotate his goalkeepers as the season goes on.
Who will serve as the Gunners’ last line of defense this week is anyone’s guess, and Arteta might be tempted to give Gabriel Jesus his first season start after Eddie Nketiah struggled to make an impact against Everton. In a startlingly similar way, PSV also experienced a problem with one of their key attackers over the weekend. Winger Noa Lang was taken off the pitch against NEC 11 minutes into the second half. He has now boarded a flight to England. However, if Lang is unable to crack the starting lineup, Bosz has a ready-made backup in Hirving Lozano, who came off the bench to make his second debut for PSV.
Bella-Kotchap should start at the Emirates, and captain Luuk de Jong has already contributed to 14 goals this season, including nine of his own and five assists. Even the most goal-happy of Rood-written crops should have their job cut out for them in North London given the rise in opposition caliber, despite the fact that PSV may have demolished Arsenal during their most recent matchup 11 months ago without Xavi Simons or Ibrahim Sangare running the show. Arteta’s team may still have to fight fire with fire because of Arsenal’s persistent defensive flaws, but the Gunners should rise to the challenge and start Group B with the most points possible thanks to a wealth of quality waiting to make an impact off the bench.
Arsenal 2 – 1 PSV Eindhoven
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