PSV progressed through to this round after beating Juventus in the Playoffs. After losing 2-1 in the first leg, they beat the Italian side 3-1 after extra time to seal a fixture against Arsenal.
They finished 14th in the league phase of the competition and only lost one game, winning three and drawing two.
Arsenal, on the other hand, finished 3rd in the league stage, gaining automatic qualification to this round. They picked up 19 points, only two less than Liverpool, who finished at the top.
Like PSV, they also had one loss; however, they got five clean sheets and had four wins and one draw in their other games.
The Dutch club have lost their last two games in all competitions, both to G.A. Eagles. First, they were knocked out in the semi-finals of the KNVB Beker and then in the Eredivise, they lost 3-2, meaning they now sit eight points off of Ajax at the top of the table.
In Arsenal’s last few games, their form has also been poor, with a 0-0 draw to Nottingham Forest and a 1-0 loss to West Ham setting back their hopes of beating Liverpool to the Premier League title. With a game in hand on the table toppers, they are still trailing by 13 points.
This means that this clash is important in their bid to win silverware this season as they are out of both cup competitions as well.
Head-to-Head
These sides met last season in the Champions League, where it ended in a 1-1 draw in the group stage of the competition. Eddie Nketiah gave the hosts the head at the Emirates Stadium before Yorbe Vertessen grabbed a point for PSV.
Since their first meeting in 2002, when Arsenal came away with a 4-0 victory, the sides have met 10 times. Arsenal have won four times, PSV have won two times, and the fixture has ended in a draw.
Nine of their fixtures have been in the Champions League; however, in the other fixture, they met in the Europa League in 2022. PSV won that game with Rudd Van Nistelrooy coaching the side to a 2-0 win.
Team News
PSV are dealing with several injuries in attack, with Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, and Esmir Bajraktarevic all unavailable for this leg of the competition.
Tillman suffered a serious ankle injury in January and underwent surgery last month, ruling him out for several months.
Pepi is another long-term absentee and is unlikely to play again this season after undergoing knee surgery following an injury in the final Champions League phase match against Liverpool.
Bajraktarevic, a highly-rated wonderkid signed in January, missed the last round against Juventus and is expected to remain sidelined.
However, PSV could receive a boost with Mauro Júnior potentially returning after picking up a knock against Juventus, which kept him out of their last few games.
Sergino Dest returned to training after his ACL injury but will still be out in this game.
PSV like to line up in a 4-3-3 formation and looks set to continue this in this game.
Argentinian goalkeeper Walter Benitez has started every game in the Eredivisie this season. He has been the clubs number one choice in between the sticks signing from Nice in 2022.
In defence, Ryan Flamingo scored in the last game and has a partnership with Olivier Boscagli, who has been a mainstay at centre back since the French defender joined the club six years ago.
Tyrell Malacia has played back-to-back 90 minutes now, his first for the club since joining on loan. Richard Ledezma has been important at right-back with Dest out injured.
Jerdy Schouten has been a key part to the side's midfield since her returned from injury and often plays next to Joey Veerman. Guus Til often occupies the third midfield spot as a more attack-minded option.
The front three of the side has hardly changed, with Johan Bakayoko and Ivan Perisic playing either side of Luuk De Jong. If he plays, it will be De Jong’s 50th game in the Champions League.
The Gunners will be strengthened by Myles Lewis-Skelly returning to the side after he served his ban for his red card he got against West Ham.
Like PSV the attack is where Arsenal’s main injury issues are. Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus are all missing in the forward areas.
Alongside the injuries in attack Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is still out with his knee injury.
Havertz suffered his injury whilst out on a training camp in Dubai and will be missing for the rest of the season.
Arsenal winger Saka picked up a hamstring injury and has been missing from the side since December.
Both Saka and Martinelli who has been missing since Arsenal’s Carbao cup knockout will be out until at least after the March International break. Martinelli has been given a return date of April 1st.
Jesus won’t be playing for the rest of the season after he picked up an ACL injury.
Mikel Arteta has mainly used a 4-3-3 formation in his time as manager.
David Raya has been the man in between the sticks and has the second-most clean sheets in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal have two of the world's best centre-backs at its disposal so the duo of Gabriel and William Saliba are likely to continue
At fullback, with Lewis-Skelly returning, Arteta has a choice if he brings the youngster back in or goes with Riccardo Calafiori, who played the last game. After having an early injury at the club, Jurrien Timber is now a big part of the right-hand side.
The midfield usually consists of Declan Rice playing in the number 6 role, with Thomas Partey as a box to box midfielder and Martin Odegaard as a more advanced player.
With the lack of attacking options, Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino has been playing as a striker. Leonardo Trossard is also an option for this position but with the depth on the wings has been playing out wide. 17 year old Ethan Nwaneri has been able to showcase his talent at a young age on the other wing.
• Predicted Line-Ups
PSV: Benitez, Ledezma, Flamingo, Boscagli, Junior, Veerman, Schouten, Bakayoko, Saibari, Perisic, De Jong
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Partey, Rice, Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard
Players to watch
PSV- Ivan Perisic
At 36 years old Perisic has been an experienced head in the side since he joined in the summer of 2024.
The Croatian is a winger but has also been deployed as a fullback and a wingback.
His most successful times came in Germany when he played for three different German clubs, winning the DFB Pokal three times. He also won the Bundesliga at both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
Whilst in Italy at Inter Milan, he played over 200 times where he won the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.
For his country he has made 140 appearances and was part of the Croatia side that were runners up in the 2018 World Cup.
Arsenal- Mikel Merino
Merino has been playing in an unfamiliar role as a striker, and he scored two goals whilst playing there against Leicester.
His first time in the Premier League didn’t work out with Newcastle however, since arriving in the summer, he has managed to show his abilities in the English top flight.
He was part of the Copa del Rey side for Real Sociedad that won the trophy in the 2019-20 season.
For his country he won the European Championship in 2024 and has made 31 appearances since making his debut in 2020.
How to watch the game
The Champions League match between PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal takes place on Tuesday, 4th March 2025. The match will kick off at 15:00 ET / 12:00 ET and is available to watch on USA Network and NBC.
