In the last round of the Champions League group stage, the two teams ranked highest in Group B will compete solely for bragging rights. Arsenal leads the table by four points, but PSV Eindhoven will undoubtedly be driven by retaliation after losing badly 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium in September.
The Dutch powerhouses have now advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in eight years, having won 13 games, drawn two, and lost none. This has allowed them to overtake Sevilla and Lens. What you need to know and how to watch the match are as follows:
PSV Eindhoven: Not surprisingly, Ricardo Pepi has had difficulty breaking into the starting lineup since moving from Augsburg. The team’s record is 15 plays, 15 wins, 6 losses, and 52 goals. Nevertheless, the striker for the USMNT did nothing but improve his chances on Thursday, scoring his sixth goal of the year just two minutes after coming on as a replacement against Herenveen. With Bosz planning to use some of those players who have left a lasting impression as replacements, the odds suddenly look quite strong that he will start on Tuesday.
He declared, “We won’t deploy an entirely different squad against Arsenal, but you have to give boys who do well off the bench a chance to play. The chance to do so is tomorrow. As a coach, I’m interested to see if we’ve grown and learnt anything. Although I’m sure we have, I also want to witness it in action against a great opponent.”
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta is also anticipated to switch up his starting lineup in anticipation of Sunday’s match at the Emirates Stadium against Brighton. Young players Reuell Walters, Lino Sousa, and Ethan Nwaneri are all included in the traveling team, and the latter two may be hoping that Arsenal’s shortage of defensive players means they will be afforded minutes.
In a similar vein, Arteta is not one to discard scratch XIs, and Bukayo Saka has traveled despite a small foot problem. Following his absence since late October, Emile Smith Rowe has returned, along with Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, and David Raya. But Gabriel Martinelli undoubtedly suffers from a medical condition.
Forecast
It is difficult to imagine Arsenal giving this dead rubber their all, regardless of the caliber of their starting lineup on paper. In the end, PSV may be more concerned about proving their worth to their fans. PICK: Arsenal 1, PSV Eindhoven 2.
