PSV – Arsenal : Preview & Prediction
With first and second place already distributed in UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group B, runners-up and current Eredivisie leaders PSV can afford to give it their all in what is now a game without much to play for against group winners and Premier League rivals Arsenal. Despite the low stakes in this match, PSV should not be expected to take it easy as they approach brimming with confidence after extending their perfect league record at the weekend to 15 consecutive wins.
Now just two games away from equaling the Eredivisie record set by themselves for the longest winning start to a campaign in 1987/88, PSV will be hoping to maintain their momentum on the continental stage. To do so, they must overcome a questionable showing against English sides in their last eight such encounters (G1, E3, P4), with the most recent of those clashes being a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in their previous meeting between them.
The Premier League title race took another twist last weekend when Arsenal’s run of six consecutive wins ended with a 1-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa, meaning only two points separate the top three. It remains to be seen whether Mikel Arteta will tweak his lineup with a busy domestic schedule in mind over Christmas, but either way he will be hoping for a good performance after notching his biggest UCL win since 2007/08 on matchday five (6-0 vs Lens).
It wasn’t just a scoreline that “Gunners” fans can be proud of in their last continental match, as they also became the first team to have five different scorers in the first half in a UCL fixture. Still, another dominant performance here is not assured, as Arsenal have a split away record against Dutch opponents (G3, E3, P3) and the most recent of those matches was a 2-0 loss here in Eindhoven last season.
Players to watch: Luuk de Jong leads the way for PSV this season with 17 official goals. Two of his last three were to open the scoring and he also scored a goal at home against Arsenal in the 2022/23 season. Trying to surpass him may be Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus, who has assisted a goal in each of his last three scoring appearances, two of which were in the UCL.
Weekend stat: Arsenal is unbeaten in 16 of its last 19 away games in Europe (G12, E4, P3).
PSV – Arsenal : Betting Tips
PSV – Win Odds: 2.25
