PSV vs Arsenal LIVE: Champions League team news and line-ups as Myles Lewis-Skelly returns

With the tournament bracket already published in this new variation of the Champions League, fans already have a rough idea of the teams they could face on the route to May’s final.

In Arsenal’s case, if they were to progress from this tie, they would face either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid.

And it doesn’t necessarily get any easier from there, with the Gunners then facing one of Liverpool, PSG, Villa or Club Brugge in the semi-finals!

These two sides have faced off 10 times in European competition in the past, with Arsenal winning four, four ending as draws, and the Dutch side winning two.

They met in the group stages of last season’s competition, with Arsenal winning 4-0 at home before a 1-1 draw at the Philips Stadion.

The most recent win for PSV in this fixture came in October 2022, when the Dutch side won 2-0 in the group stages of the Europa League.

At this same stage in 2006/07, PSV beat the Gunners 2-1 on aggregate, with Chelsea loanee Alex securing a 1-1 draw at the Emirates.

Last week, Mikel Arteta said that he was expecting a concrete update on return dates for Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka – both of whom would of course be vital to any chances the Gunners have of winning this competition.

Speaking last Thursday, Arteta said: “Let’s see how they evolve in the next few weeks to make the right steps and then after that, they’ve been out for a long, long time, so we’re going to have to integrate them as well gradually.

“They are evolving well but they’re still a bit far,” added the Spaniard.

A big night for two Mikels: Arteta’s season increasingly rests on the Champions League, with Arsenal likely to finish second in the Premier League and very unlikely to drop out of the top four, and Merino, who again leads the line in Eindhoven tonight for a side who have not scored in three of their last four games. Merino got the goals in the other match, at Leicester. There is a carrot of a trip to Madrid, whether Real or Atletico, if Arsenal can see off PSV in what is becoming a very familiar rivalry.

For Arsenal, Arteta has made two changes to the side that drew 0-0 to Forest last time out.

In defence, Miles Lewis-Skelly returns in place of Riccardo Calafiori at left-back, while in midfield, Thomas Partey replaces Jorginho.

Mikel Merino leads the line once again, with Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard on the wings.

For Arsenal, Arteta has made two changes to the side that drew 0-0 to Forest last time out.

In defence, Miles Lewis-Skelly returns in place of Riccardo Calafiori at left-back, while in midfield, Thomas Partey replaces Jorginho.

Mikel Merino leads the line once again, with Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard on the wings.

There is just one change for PSV tonight, with former Spurs man Ivan Perisic coming in for Johan Bakayoko.

PSV XI: Benitez, Ledezma, Flamingo, Boscagli, Malacia; Schouten, Til; Perisic, Saibari, Lang; de Jong.

Subs: Drommel, Schiks, Obispo, Karsdorp, Nagalo, Veerman, Babadi, Land, Bakayoko, Driouech.

Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard.

Subs: Neto, Setford, White, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Tierney, Calafiori, Jorginho, Sterling, Kabia, Butler-Oyedeji.

The line-ups should be released in the next 10 minutes or so, so here’s a reminder of the early team news…

Arsenal have had almost a week off since their draw with Forest, and there were no new injury concerns for Mikel Arteta after that match. Miles Lewis-Skelly is free to return to the side in European competition, so he could feature again.

With news that Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss the rest of the season, Arsenal continue to be short of options in key positions. In addition, this match will come too soon for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, with neither expected back until next month.

For PSV, former Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest is expected to return this month, though this match may come too soon. Centre-back Ricardo Pepi and midfielder Malik Tillman are the long-term absentees for the Dutch side.