The Champions League returns on Tuesday night when we head to Eindhoven for our last-16 first leg against a familiar foe in PSV Eindhoven.
It is the third successive season we have been drawn against the Dutch giants, who romped to a 25th Eredivise title last term. They have found things tougher this time around following a recent slump, but in Europe Peter Bosz’s team have strung four consecutive wins together to reach this stage, sparking dreams of a first Champions League quarter-final since 2007.
While we have found the Philips Stadion a difficult place to visit in the past two campaigns, we'll hope this is a case of third-time lucky. Having won our last two matches on the continent, we'll head to the continent confident we can put ourselves in the best possible position ahead of the second leg in north London eight days later.
Hospitality packages available now for PSV at Emirates Stadium
PSV stumbling
The reigning champions' defence began perfectly with 10 straight wins, helping them to head into the winter break six points clear of Ajax. However their domestic form has nosedived in 2025, with just one league win coming from their seven games since the restart, and a 14-point swing has occurred as Ajax have won every match to take control.
PSV haven’t won their last four Eredivisie matches, allowing NEC Nijmegen to score twice in stoppage-time to earn a 3-3 draw, while also surrendering leads against Willem II and Utrecht. Saturday saw them slip to a 3-2 loss against Go Ahead Eagles, who once again left it late to earn the victory. The same opponents also dumped them out of the Dutch Cup last week, inflicting PSV's first defeat on home soil since November 2022.
As for the Champions League, Petr Bosz guided his team into the last-16 by finishing 14th in the table with four wins and two draws from their eight matches, and overcame a 2-1 play-off round first-leg loss at Juventus by winning 3-1 after extra-time in the return fixture. Ivan Perisic rolled back the years to score in both legs, while Ryan Flamingo grabbed the all-important winner.
What the managers say
Arteta: "It’s a game that obviously brings a different energy – it’s that competition that puts everyone on their toes. We’ve done a lot already this season here and now it’s the moment to start to make another strong step in the right direction that we want to. I’m very excited for the game.
"There’s a lot of things that we have learnt this season in the Champions League about ourselves – that’s part of the very near past, now it’s everything we’re doing now for the near future. That’s what’s going to count."
Bosz: "Defending starts with the attack. Then we immediately put pressure on the ball, which allowed us to win it back quickly and often not have to defend at all. Football is a complex sport; you can't point to a single aspect. It is an interplay of many factors that must fall right.
"It's often small details that keep us from winning games. We are working intensively to improve those details and I am responsible for that. I know my team well and it's not a guarantee that with a low block you won't get any goals against. We have achieved success with this style of play and the same players."
Team news
Myles Lewis-Skelly is available again after suspension ruled him out of our last match against Nottingham Forest, but Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli remain out, as do long-term injury victims Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Players who pick up three yellow cards before the semi-final stage will serve a one-match suspension. The only players we currently have on two are Martinelli and Raheem Sterling.
PSV’s poor form can be partly attributed to two of their key players picking up major injuries. Top scorer Riccardo Pepi had netted 17 times before suffering a season-ending knee injury in January, while his USA international teammate Malik Tillman has undergone ankle surgery and the attacking midfielder will miss out too.
Another American in left-back Sergino Dest has sat out the whole campaign with an ACL injury but has returned to training, and his deputy Mauro Junior has missed the past two games. January arrival Esmir Bajraktarevic has a shoulder problem, while former Gunner Lucas Perez also signed recently but not in time to be registered for the Champions League.
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke: In a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, PSV will look to press us hard in front of their own supporters. Full of energy when they don’t have the ball, they have limited opponents to just nine passes per defensive action in the competition, the second fewest of any team. Defending with aggression high up the pitch has also brought them rewards in the form of 25 shots from high turnovers, something only PSG can top.
Bosz is a very positive head coach who wants his side to keep the ball and attack at every opportunity. They rank third for the most shots per 90 minutes (18.2) and their average possession is just shy of 56%, more than ours in this competition, so there will be periods in this tie where we must get men behind the ball. Set pieces are another major strength, with PSV netting eight times from corners and wide free kicks in Europe - the most of any side.
Talented Moroccan midfielder Ismael Saibari [above] was brilliant against Juventus in the play-off round, and has nine goals and 10 assists in 2024/25 across his appearances in Eredivisie and the Champions League. Capable of playing as a central midfielder or as a No.10, he is busy, with good skill in tight areas and passes superbly. If we allow him to run free, he can hurt us.
For all of these standout qualities, our opponents have registered one clean sheet in their last 11 league games, an indication of how they can leave gaps in defence, especially when they squeeze up to press. Making well-timed runs from deep when we turn over possession could be a good way to hurt them. If they push too many players forward, this could also be an encounter where we profit on the counter-attack.
Facts and stats
We have lost just two of our last 18 encounters with Dutch opposition in Europe (W8 D8) however both defeats have come away to PSV (February 2007 & October 2022).
We have won each of our last four Champions League fixtures, scoring 13 goals and only conceding twice. The last time we had a five-game winning streak in a single edition was in 2005/06 when we finished as runners-up.
Having failed to win any of their first three games in the Champions League this season, PSV have since won five of their seven. They’re looking to reach the quarter-finals for just a third time.
The Dutch side have won the first leg in just two of their nine Champions League knockout ties, however their most recent such win did come against us back in 2006/07. Meanwhile, we have failed to win the first leg in any of our last eight since a 2-1 win against Barcelona in 2010/11.
We last won three successive away games in the Champions League back in March 2015.
We have been ahead for 57% of our minutes played in the Champions League this season, the highest percentage of any side.
Ethan Nwaneri could become the second-youngest Gunner to appear in a Champions League knockout stage game (17y 348d), after Cesc Fabregas v Bayern Munich in March 2005 (17y 309d). He could also become just the third Englishman to start in a knockout stage game in the competition while under 18, after Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.
Ryan Flamingo has scored three goals in the Champions League this season, the most by a defender.
Match officials
Spanish official Jesus Gil Manzano will take charge of this fixture. He has been a top-flight referee in his homeland since 2012 and was added to the FIFA list two years later. He is a new face for us, while he has only managed PSV once, back in 2022 when they beat Monaco in a Champions League qualifier.
He has been handed three games in the competition this term, which have seen him dish out 11 yellow cards. He averages a whopping seven a game in La Liga this term, more than any other official, and has hit double figures in three different matches. He has also brandished six reds and awarded four penalties in the league campaign.
Due to a kit clash, we will wear alternative white shorts in this game alongside our black away kit.
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano
Assistants: Diego Barbero, Angel Nevado
Fourth official: Guillermo Cuadra
VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande
Assistant VAR: Christian Dingert
OUR trips to Eindhoven
We have headed to the Philips Stadion five times since our first encounter in 2002, when Gilberto Silva put us in front after 20 seconds before Freddie Ljungberg and a Thierry Henry brace secured a 4-0 group stage win, but since then we’ve not left Eindhoven with a win.
In 2004/05, a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands saw Lauren and Patrick Vieira both receive red cards, while two seasons later PSV won the first leg 1-0 at home to set up our last-16 elimination.
2022/23 saw us paired in the Europa League group stages, and we fell to a 2-0 loss when Joey Veerman and Luuk de Jong netted, while last term saw us draw 1-1 back in Champions League action when Eddie Nketiah’s strike was cancelled out by Yorbe Vertessen.
Live coverage
Tune into Live From N5 just before kick-off to hear live commentary of the game provided by Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke, who will guide you through all the action if you’re out and about.
You can also find out which broadcasters are showing the action live wherever you are in the world.
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