Arsenal will make their long-awaited return to Champions League football when they take on PSV Eindhoven tonight.
Arsenal will welcome Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven to the Emirates Stadium this evening to contest their first Champions League group B fixture of the campaign.
The Gunners haven’t featured in Europe’s premier club competition for six years, since their 2016/17 round of 16 exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Mikel Arteta has now led the north London club back into the competition, and will believe that his impressive young Arsenal side can seriously compete in the tournament this time around.
The Spanish coach needs to quickly get to grips with managing in the Champions League himself. Arteta must utilise the depth of his squad, and rotate players into his starting XI, without costing his team its cohesion and momentum.
It will be interesting to see what changes Arteta makes to his starting line up this evening.
Predicted Arsenal starting XI
Aaron Ramsdale
David Raya’s involvement against Everton has cast doubt on Aaron Ramsdale’s place in the Arsenal pecking order. Arteta has insisted that both ‘keepers will play this season. The 25-year-old ought to be given a vote of confidence to make his Champions League debut this evening.
Ben White
Arsenal’s Mr. Consistent, Ben White seems certain to start, especially given the long-term injury sustained by summer signing Jurrien Timber.
William Saliba
Arteta will want to make a strong start to this Champions League campaign, and that means staying solid at the back. William Saliba is too important to leave out.
Gabriel Magalhaes
Like Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes is a key figure in the Arsenal rearguard and will be needed tonight.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Oleksandr Zinchenko should be protected for this weekend’s North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Takehiro Tomiyasu should rotate in, in place of the 55-cap Ukraine international. The £19.8 million Japanese defender also has the physicality to help the Gunners deal with the aerial threat posed by PSV striker Luuk de Jong.
Declan Rice
With Thomas Partey sidelined with injury, the ‘amazing’ Declan Rice is the obvious choice to play at the base of the midfield. However, expect Jorginho to play a significant role from the bench if the game state allows it.
Kai Havertz
Fabio Vieira will feel unfortunate to miss out, but Arteta needs to keep giving chance to impress to his £65 million summer signing. Kai Havertz has plenty of Champions League experience and may well be able to truly announce his arrival at Arsenal with a statement display against PSV.
Martin Odegaard
The Arsenal club-captain is the heartbeat of this team. Arteta says Martin Odegaard is “a really important player for us,” and he will be needed to pull the strings.
Bukayo Saka
Like Odegaard, Bukayo Saka is a talismanic figure who will always want to play on the big occasions. Reiss Nelson may get the chance to replace Saka at some stage from the bench.
Leandro Trossard
Given the injury to Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard seems certain to start tonight following his match-winning display against Everton. It has been said that he is ‘not happy’ with his current level of game time, and Arteta needs to ensure that the Belgian attacker gets the minutes he needs. Emile Smith Rowe will also be hoping to get an outing from the bench.
Gabriel Jesus
Eddie Nketiah has deputised brilliantly for Gabriel Jesus in recent weeks, but the Brazilian striker needs minutes in his legs to get fully back to match fitness ahead of Sunday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
