Champions League
2025-03-04 - PSV Eindhoven vs Arsenal
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: UEFA Champions League Last 16 First Leg
Tuesday 4th March 2025 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
PSV Eindhoven
A poor run of form has just seen PSV Eindhoven fall off the pace that is being set by Dutch League leaders Ajax and the Champions League may be taking on added importance for the team. In the Play Off Round, PSV Eindhoven were able to upset Juventus thanks to a win in the Second Leg at home and this time they will be trying to have something to hold onto when playing the Last 16 Second Leg next week in London.
Strong goal-scoring form has helped PSV Eindhoven produce some big results in the Champions League and that came to the fore in the eventual 3-1 win over Juventus last month, which saw them progress 4-3 on aggregate. A home win over Liverpool in the League Phase at the end of January has been part of a run where PSV Eindhoven have won 4 in a row at home in this competition.
PSV Eindhoven have only won 1 of their last 6 games in all competitions and they have suffered consecutive defeats since beating Juventus in the last Round, which has seen them fall to 8 points behind Dutch leaders Ajax. They were beaten in their last fixture played here, which has snapped PSV Eindhoven's run of 56 games without a home loss.
Mauro Junior is a doubt for the home team.
Arsenal
The early exit from the FA Cup has given Arsenal the weekend off and they will be hoping to use the time away to find the right solutions when it comes to resolving attacking issues. Injuries have been a major problem, but excuses are not easy to accept as Arsenal have allowed Liverpool to pull away in the Premier League title race.
Mikel Arteta could still oversee a special season for Arsenal if he can take the club to a first ever Champions League/European Cup victory. The top eight finish in the Group Stage has at least earned Arsenal a direct path into the Last 16, although the draw looks tough even if The Gunners can fire past the Dutch Champions. Consecutive away Champions League wins at Sporting Lisbon and Girona will also have given Arsenal some confidence ahead of this Last 16 First Leg.
Arsenal needed two late goals to earn a 0-2 win at Leicester City, but that is their only win in 4 games in all competitions as injuries have racked up. The lack of a focal point to their attack has shown up in consecutive fixtures being played without scoring a goal. Despite that, Arsenal have lost 1 of their last 12 away games in all competitions.
The manager does not like giving too much away when it comes to injuries, but the feeling is that this Last 16 First Leg comes too soon for the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
Head to Head
This will be the eleventh time PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal have faced one another in a competitive fixture.
They actually met in the Champions League Group Stage last season and it was Arsenal who won convincingly at home before a 1-1 draw in Eindhoven.
Arsenal won on their first visit to Eindhoven, but PSV have won 2 and drawn 2 when hosting this opponent since then.
Prediction
There will be plenty of questions about the Arsenal recruitment policy if they were to lose in this Champions League Last 16 tie and the season would be in danger of fizzling out.
That would be a big disappointment for the players and the fans- the Premier League title race looks run, but Arsenal may believe there is an opportunity for them if they can find a way past PSV Eindhoven and then get the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli back into action.
The injuries in the final third have really been holding Arsenal back.
In recent games they have created chances, but the lack of clinical options in the final third have hurt Arsenal and back to back fixtures without scoring will have dented some of the confidence. Late goals were needed to beat Leicester City and now Arsenal have to travel to face a PSV Eindhoven team that have a vibrant attack.
The Dutch side have won 4 in a row at home in the Champions League and scored at least twice in each of those wins.
Recent form is not the most encouraging, but the threat in the final third gives PSV Eindhoven an edge and they will be expecting themselves to still have all to play for when travelling to the Emirates Stadium next week.
Backing the home team to avoid a defeat looks the call and you would expect a single strike to perhaps be enough to do that. Arsenal are showing some resiliency at the back, but they are under pressure to find more goals and PSV Eindhoven may take advantage of some of the uncertainty in the away camp.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Arsenal
