Mikel Arteta looks likely to keep faith with Mikel Merino as his side’s attacking focal point against PSV.
The Gunners season is on the line in the Champions League last 16, and they head to Eindhoven wary of the dangers the home side can pose, having seen the Dutch outfit KO Juventus in the playoff round.
Arsenal are out of form, arrived in Holland on the back of a defeat by West Ham and a goalless draw with Nottingham Forest, and have scored just twice in their last four matches – with both of those coming against a Leicester City side heading down to the Championship. Indeed, they registered just two shots on target against West Ham at the Emirates, and only one on Forest’s goal in that stalemate.
However, PSV are far from stellar defensively, having kept just one clean sheet in their last 14 matches. The Dutch champions can be got at.
“We still have gears with the players that we have to take the game to a different level,” said Arteta on Monday at his pre-match press conference.
“Every individual has to be at their best. And when we do that, and we have that connection, we are a really strong team.
“We cannot change it (the last result). We have to learn from it. And focusing on what we have done in the Champions League this season is our biggest reassurance because that doesn’t happen at that level of consistency for that many months for a random reason. It’s because we have it in us.
“We’re going to have to adapt. That’s obviously unquestionable, but we can still be very efficient and a top team. And when you get to this stage of the Champions League, there is something else.
“You feel it in the atmosphere and the energy of the place. It’s something else because it’s a competition you don’t play weekly. You play, and you are in or you are out. And that gives you urgency.”
Myles Lewis-Skelly is likely to return to the starting lineup after he was suspended for the draw with Forest, while fellow teen Ethan Nwaneri should keep his place on the right flank. Jurrien Timber will continue at right-back and it is likely to be Merino leading the line.
And while Arteta insists his side can raise their game at the Phillips Stadion and take a step towards the quarter-finals – where either Real Madrid or Atletico await – PSV winger Ivan Perisic believes his side can similarly emerge victorious.
He said: “Arsenal often lacked that one bit to win something last year. We have to be fully prepared, then we have a good chance to beat them.
“It will be a tough game against a young team with a strong coach. But I believe in our team and we have to play at our best. When you hear the Champions League anthem, it gives something special.”
Likely Arsenal Starting XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Partey; Trossard, Odegaard, Nwaneri; Merino.
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