PSV Eindhoven play host to Arsenal in the Champions League tonight for the first leg of their last-16 match up. The Gunners hope to secure a win and take a crucial lead back to the Emirates for next week’s deciding leg.
Mikel Arteta’s men have fallen 13 points behind Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title and their best chance of winning silverware this season now lies in Europe with Arteta making winning the Champions League the priority for his team.
The Gunners lost just one of their league phase matches and finished third in the table making them one of the favourites, along with Liverpool and Real Madrid, to lift the trophy at the end of the season.
PSV, meanwhile, came through the play-offs and earned a 4-3 aggregate win over Juventus to knock the Serie A giants out of the competition. They are second to Ajax in the Eredivisie yet were knocked out of the KNVB Cup over two legs by Go Ahead Eagles in their two most recent outings.
Follow all the Champions League action with our live blog below:
PSV vs Arsenal LIVE
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PSV host Arsenal in the Champions League last-16 with kick off at 8pm | Live on Amazon Prime Video
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Arsenal excelled in the league phase but injuries have affected their forward line
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PSV defeated Juventus 4-3 on aggregate in the play-off round to reach the last-16
Predicted line-ups
17:07 , Chris Wilson
PSV XI: Benitez; Ledezma, Flamingo, Boscagli, Junior; Schouten, Veerman; Perisic, Saibari, Lang; de Jong.
Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard.
Team news
17:05 , Chris Wilson
For PSV, former Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest is expected to return this month, though this match may come too soon. Centre-back Ricardo Pepi and midfielder Malik Tillman are the long-term absentees for the Dutch side.
Team news
17:04 , Chris Wilson
Arsenal have had almost a week off since their draw with Forest, and there were no new injury concerns for Mikel Arteta after that match. Miles Lewis-Skelly is free to return to the side in European competition, so he could feature again.
With news that Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss the rest of the season, Arsenal continue to be short of options in key positions. In addition, this match will come too soon for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, with neither expected back until next month.
Is PSV vs Arsenal on TV?
17:03 , Chris Wilson
When is PSV vs Arsenal?
The match is due to kick off at 8pm GMT on Tuesday, 4 March at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
How can I watch the match?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the game live on Amazon Prime Video, with coverage starting at 7pm.
PSV vs Arsenal LIVE
17:02 , Chris Wilson
Arsenal travel to the Netherlands to face PSV in the Champions Leaguetonight, with the Gunners looking to take a potentially vital advantage into next week’s second leg in London.
While Arsenal’s title challenge may have faded in recent weeks, they remain one of the favourites in this tournament, though they’ll face stiff competition from the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool.
And the round of 16 pits them against a PSV side who are in their own title battle, with the Eindhoven-based club currently five points behind leaders Ajax in the Eredivisie.
While the odds are heavily in Arsenal’s favour in this tie, Mikel Arteta’s side will be wary of PSV’s attacking ability, as showcased in their 4-3 aggregate win over Juventus in the play-offs.
PSV vs Arsenal LIVE
17:01 , Chris Wilson
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of tonight’s Champions League match between PSV and Arsenal.
The Gunners travel to Eindhoven looking to take home a vital lead ahead of next week’s second leg, and they face a PSV side who dramatically beat Juventus to earn their place in the last 16.
We’ll have all chelatest updates and team news right here.
