Arsenal have already qualified for the next stage of the Europa League, but they can finish the job off and skip a play-off match if they earn at least a point against PSV Eindhoven this evening. The Gunners currently sit five points clear at the top of Group A and if they avoid defeat in the Netherlands, they are guaranteed to finish top of the group which will automatically send them through to the last-16.
Mikel Arteta’s side are in terrific form, unbeaten in nine matches, since a Premier League loss to Manchester United, although last time out they only managed to draw 1-1 with Southampton. Still, they have won every game in the Europa League this season and look determined to continue that run against a side they beat 1-0 at the Emirates last week. Their opponents were also beaten 4-2 in the Eredivisie at the weekend and will be focused on getting back to winning ways so the Gunners should expect a tough encounter with PSV tonight.
As he has done throughout this tournament, Arteta is expected to make a heap of changes to the starting XI and give playing time to the likes of Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah who will hopefully have their shooting boots on. Arsenal have scored just one goal in each of their last four matches which is a stat Arteta will be hoping his team improve on against their Dutch opponents.
PSV Eindhoven vs Arsenal player ratings – Europa League
GK: Walter Benitez – 7/10 – Nothing like as busy as he had been in north London in the reverse fixture. But an important save stopped Arsenal mounting a late comeback.
RB: Philipp Mwene – 7/10 – Not great with the ball but did enough to make sure that Martinelli wasn’t much of a threat.
CB: Andre Ramalho – 7/10 – Repelled nearly everything that came his way.
CB: Jarrad Branthwaite – 8/10 – Really impressive against Premier League opposition, which bodes well for his Everton future.
LB: Philipp Max – 7/10 – Strong defensive work to keep the Gunners at bay down his flank.
CM: Ibrahim Sangare – 7/10 – Worked hard in midfield and won his individual battles all game long.
CM: Erick Gutierrez – 7/10 – Didn’t have loads of the ball but played an important role.
RM: Anwar El-Ghazi – 4/10 – Hardly saw the ball and didn’t make it to the second half.
AM: Joey Veerman – 7/10 – A very well-taken goal finally got PSV off the mark after the two disallowed in the first half.
LM: Cody Gakpo (c) – 9/10 – Had the ball in the net twice himself and was a constant thorn in Arsenal’s side.
ST: Xavi Simons – 8/10 – Linked up well with Gakpo and was heavily involved in a lot of PSV’s best work. Had a great solo goal ruled out by VAR.
SUB: Luuk de Jong (46′ for El-Ghazi) – 9/10 – Glued everything together in an attacking sense to tip PSV into the ascendancy. Huge impact.
SUB: Noni Madueke (80′ for Simons) – N/A
SUB: Jordan Teze (80′ for Branthwaite) – N/A
SUB: Guus Til (81′ for Veerman) – N/A
SUB: Mauro Junior (84′ for Gakpo) – N/A
Manager: Ruud van Nistelrooy – 9/10 – His perfect game plan was executed flawlessly and bringing on De Jong at half-time also made the key difference.
Arsenal (4-3-3)
GK: Aaron Ramsdale – 5/10 – Made a number of good saves, but his error for PSV’s second goal took the game away from Arsenal.
RB: Takehiro Tomiyasu – 4/10 – Didn’t venture forward that much because he always had one eye on Gakpo. Lost the Dutchman repeatedly
CB: William Saliba – 4/10 – Really struggled in the second half.
CB: Rob Holding – 4/10 – At fault for the opening goal and sacrificed when PSV went 2-0 up.
LB: Kieran Tierney – 5/10 – Didn’t cover himself in glory defensively. Had got forward in the first half when Martinelli tucked in.
CM: Martin Odegaard (c) – 4/10 – Had a couple of shots but his impact was sorely lacking and he was sacrificed with more than half an hour left.
CM: Albert Sambi Lokonga – 5/10 – Failed to make the most of this chance.
CM: Granit Xhaka – 5/10 – Lost his head late on when he manhandled Simons as he was trying to run down the clock.
RW: Fabio Vieira – 5/10 – Tried to give Arsenal width on that side but struggled to impose himself on the game.
ST: Eddie Nketiah – 6/10 – A few decent chances went begging but at least got himself into positions to have them.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 5/10 – Booked for dissent. Disappointing overall.
SUB: Thomas Partey (57′ for Sambi Lokonga) – 5/10
SUB: Bukayo Saka (57′ for Odegaard) – 6/10 –
SUB: Gabriel Jesus (64′ for Holding) – 6/10
SUB: Ben White (74′ for Tierney) – 5/10
SUB: Gabriel (74′ for Tomiyasu) – 5/10
Manager: Mikel Arteta – 5/10 – Had no response when it was clear that PSV were in the ascendancy, despite making several changes to try and fix it.
Player of the match – Luuk de Jong (PSV)
Man Utd vs Sheriff
Manchester United are second in Group E and know that a point will ensure they make it into the next round of the competition.
However, they can still finish top but will in all likelihood need to win both of their final group fixtures starting against Sheriff tonight.
Sheriff themselves are still in with a chance of qualifying but need all three points against United to be in with a shout. This should make for an entertaining encounter at Old Trafford.
