Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Champions League match.
The first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 between PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal will kick off Tuesday’s action. Both sides come into the tie in uncertain form, with the Dutch club struggling domestically after an intense playoff battle against Juventus, while the English side continue to search for attacking fluidity amid injuries.
PSV Eindhoven
After a dramatic win over Juventus (4:3 on aggregate), PSV Eindhoven looked drained and suffered back-to-back defeats to Go Ahead Eagles (1:2 in the Cup and 2:3 in the Eredivisie) despite having never lost to them before. The absences of Sergiño Dest, Fodé Fofana, Ricardo Pepi, and Malik Tillman have left the coaching staff short of options in attack, with Luuk de Jong, Hirving Lozano, and Ivan Perišić carrying much of the offensive load. Against an Arsenal side known for its defensive solidity, creating chances will be a challenge.
Arsenal
A 5:1 thrashing of Manchester City a month ago looked like a turning point for Arsenal, but since then, they have won just once in four matches. They’ve failed to score in three of those games, including a frustrating 0:0 draw against Nottingham Forest, where they managed just one shot on target. The Mikel Merino experiment as a false nine hasn’t been working, and Arsenal struggle to break down compact defenses—something PSV Eindhoven will likely adopt in this fixture.
PSV Eindhoven vs Arsenal Prediction
PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal met in last season’s Champions League group stage, playing out a 1:1 draw in Eindhoven. With PSV fatigued and lacking attacking depth and Arsenal struggling in the final third, this match is unlikely to be a high-scoring affair.
