Arsenal is all set to make a comeback to the Champions League after an absence of six years. The team is in high spirits after defeating Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park on 17th September.
Leandro Trossard portrayed an impressive gameplay by scoring a goal for Arsenal against Everton after substituting Gabriel Martinelli, who got down with an injury in the first half. Mikel Arteta was highly ecstatic about the team’s performance during the match. Despite the great gameplay, the team still has a lot to face in the coming months.
The two injured players, Thomas Partey and Martinelli, are most likely to be rolled out of the team for an undefined time. Arteta will be observing the team players and training them for the Champions League starting this week.
Arsenal will be playing against PSV in their first round of the Champions League group-stage fixtures on 20 September at the Emirates Stadium in London.
In the last 20 years, Arsenal has played PSV eight times, during the Champions League and the Europa League.
Arsenal played against PSV only last season in the Europa League group, which resulted in Arsenal topping the group and leaving PSV behind by only two points.
Since the two teams last played with each other, PSV has appointed Peter Bosz as their new manager after their previous manager, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, resigned in June.
During their last game in the Europa League group stage, the Dutch side had made history with the score of 2-0. However, PSV’s then manager Van Nostelrooy was not too sure of his team’s chances at victory against Arsenal. Before the match, he had said that, in all likelihood, it would be decided in their final group game. The manager believed that the team was going for a miracle.
Despite having an embarrassing defeat, Arsenal still had 70% possession and 15 shots, while PSV could only manage eight and six corners against three of the home team.
Arsenal’s boss, Mikel Arteta, had expressed his disappointment in the press conference held after the match. Arteta stated that it was the team’s first defeat after a long period of time and, hence, the time to reset and analyze what happened. He went on to congratulate PSV and said that they were the better team and they deserved to win the game.
Arsenal’s history with PSV
The history of Arsenal and PSV goes all the way back to 2002, when the two teams first met. The match marked a famous goal made by Gilberto Silva in only 21 seconds, siding the game towards their team. The Gunner later went on to secure three more scores thanks to Freddie Ljungberg and Thierry Henry.
Throughout their eight matches together, Arsenal have won three while PSV have won two. The other three games were a draw. The two teams have been competitive rivals from the beginning of their journey together.
However, neither of the two teams has scored any more than two goals in any match after their first fixture. But keeping in mind the high spirits of Arsenal, the spectators are hoping to see a legendary battle on the field of the Emirates Stadium on the 20th of September.
Also Read: Arsenal may not be ready to face Everton at the Goodison Park
