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

PSV Eindhoven play host to Arsenal in the Champions League tonight for the first leg of their last-16 match up. The Gunners hope to secure a win and take a crucial lead back to the Emirates for next week’s deciding leg.

Mikel Arteta’s men have fallen 13 points behind Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title and their best chance of winning silverware this season now lies in Europe with Arteta making winning the Champions League the priority for his team.

The Gunners lost just one of their league phase matches and finished third in the table making them one of the favourites, along with Liverpool and Real Madrid, to lift the trophy at the end of the season.

PSV, meanwhile, came through the play-offs and earned a 4-3 aggregate win over Juventus to knock the Serie A giants out of the competition. They are second to Ajax in the Eredivisie yet were knocked out of the KNVB Cup over two legs by Go Ahead Eagles in their two most recent outings.

Follow all the Champions League action with our live blog below:

PSV vs Arsenal LIVE

• PSV host Arsenal in the Champions League last-16 with kick off at 8pm | Live on Amazon Prime Video

• Arsenal excelled in the league phase but injuries have affected their forward line

• PSV defeated Juventus 4-3 on aggregate in the play-off round to reach the last-16

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

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

• Myles Lewis-Skelly returns to Arsenal line-up as Mikel Merino leads the line

Match facts

19:40 , Chris Wilson

Arsenal have only lost one of their last 14 games against Dutch sides in the UEFA Champions League.

The Gunners have won each of their last four games in the UEFA Champions League, scoring 13 goals and only conceding twice in the process.

Mikel Arteta’s side have the lowest xG against per game average (0.73) in the UEFA Champions League this season.

Why Arsenal should believe they can win the Champions League

19:33 , Chris Wilson

Inside the Philips Stadion, there are reminders of PSV Eindhoven’s past, celebrations of former centre-forwards such as Romario, Ronaldo Nazario and Ruud van Nistelrooy who have graced the club and tormented defenders. As he walked along the corridors between the executive suites, Mikel Arteta could have been given a reminder of what he is missing.

It is carnival week in Eindhoven and plenty of people are descending on the Dutch city in fancy dress. Whether any have come in the garb of an Arsenal goalscorer or will impersonate a striker, even for a night, remains to be seen. The probability is that Mikel Merino will be leading the line for Arsenal in the Netherlands; the scorer of the Gunners’ only goals in their last four games but a midfielder by trade. With Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus injured, with Gabriel Martinelli only on the way back, with Raheem Sterling’s only goal this season coming against Preston, it may be Merino in attack.

Why Arsenal should believe they can win the Champions League

Match facts

19:27 , Chris Wilson

Arsenal are unbeaten in their five home matches in European competitions against PSV (W3 D2) – the most home games they’ve played against an opponent in European competition without ever losing.

This will be the second time Arsenal have faced PSV in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, after being eliminated by the Dutch side in the Last 16 in 2006-07 (lost 0-1 away, drew 1-1 at home).

Who could Arsenal face in the route to the final?

19:20 , Chris Wilson

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!

Head-to-head

19:15 , Chris Wilson

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.

Saka and Martinelli to return soon?

19:10 , Chris Wilson

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.

Mikel Merino leads the line for misfiring Arsenal

19:04 , Richard Jolly

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.

Team news

19:00 , Chris Wilson

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.

Team news

18:57 , Chris Wilson

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.

Team news

18:56 , Chris Wilson

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

PSV line-up

18:52 , Chris Wilson

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 line-up

18:46 , Chris Wilson

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.

Team news

18:35 , Chris Wilson

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.

The Champions League returns and its flaws leave an unintended benefit

18:25 , Chris Wilson

There are a lot of elite footballers who still have the Champions Leaguetheme as their ringtone, and some will be actively playing it on the way to stadiums. Familiarity hasn’t dulled excitement. It’s fair to say that isn’t really from the relative laboriousness of the group stage, but rather the exquisite energy of the knockouts.

This week is where football history starts to be made, partly because of how visions of glory can be instantly consigned to the past. It is tension and tantalising opportunity all at once. Through that, there’s a distinctive thought, one even more striking than the sense many players will feel this week of stepping out into great stadiums. A good chunk of this season’s stars were children when watching Barcelona’s comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, the kind of game that made them first realise the unique magic of these nights.

That was obviously the case for Camp Nou’s current talents like Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Gavi but also stars like Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, Ryan Gravenberch and arguably even William Saliba and Bukayo Saka. Such grandeur and mystique is what Uefa and all of football’s major stakeholders at least think they are striving for.

The Champions League returns and its flaws leave an unintended benefit

Champions League last-16 ties

18:10 , Chris Wilson

With Villa’s match against Brugge already underway, here’s a brief reminder of the last-16 ties in the Champions League.

Tuesday, 4 March

Aston Villa vs Club Brugge

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

PSV vs Arsenal

Dortmund vs Lille

Wednesday, 5 March

Feyenoord vs Inter

Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen

PSG vs Liverpool

Benfica vs Barcelona

Ivan Perisic says Arsenal have ‘lacked’ what it takes to be winners

18:00 , Chris Wilson

Former Tottenham player Ivan Perisic says Arsenal have “lacked” what it takes to be winners and believes his current side PSV Eindhoven can shock the Gunners in their Champions League last-16 tie.

Perisic, 36, has revived his career at the Dutch club and scored in PSV’s victory over Juventus in the previous round and will now face his former north London rivals on Tuesday night in Eindhoven.

Mikel Arteta’s side have crashed out of the Premier League title race since their last Champions League outing, with a defeat to West Ham and a draw to Nottingham Forest handing the advantage to runaway leaders Liverpool.

Ivan Perisic says Arsenal have ‘lacked’ what it takes to be winners

Prediction

17:45 , Chris Wilson

All that matters in this first leg is taking some kind of result back to the Emirates, and despite their offensive woes in recent weeks, Arsenal’s defence is still one of the best on the continent. They should sneak a win in Eindhoven.

PSV 0-1 Arsenal.

Jurrien Timber urges Arsenal to ‘change the narrative’ against PSV

17:25 , Chris Wilson

Jurrien Timber has challenged Arsenal to change the narrative ahead of their Champions League knockout clash against PSV Eindhoven.

The Gunners arrive in the Netherlands with their Premier League title hopes all but over after collecting just one point from their past two matches.

Mikel Arteta’s squad, without a recognised striker following season-ending injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, also failed to find the back of the net in those two fixtures.

Jurrien Timber urges Arsenal to ‘change the narrative’ against PSV

Predicted line-ups

17:07 , Chris Wilson

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

Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard.

Team news

17:05 , Chris Wilson

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.

Team news

17:04 , Chris Wilson

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.

Is PSV vs Arsenal on TV?

17:03 , Chris Wilson

When is PSV vs Arsenal?

The match is due to kick off at 8pm GMT on Tuesday, 4 March at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

How can I watch the match?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the game live on Amazon Prime Video, with coverage starting at 7pm.

PSV vs Arsenal LIVE

17:02 , Chris Wilson

Arsenal travel to the Netherlands to face PSV in the Champions Leaguetonight, with the Gunners looking to take a potentially vital advantage into next week’s second leg in London.

While Arsenal’s title challenge may have faded in recent weeks, they remain one of the favourites in this tournament, though they’ll face stiff competition from the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool.

And the round of 16 pits them against a PSV side who are in their own title battle, with the Eindhoven-based club currently five points behind leaders Ajax in the Eredivisie.

While the odds are heavily in Arsenal’s favour in this tie, Mikel Arteta’s side will be wary of PSV’s attacking ability, as showcased in their 4-3 aggregate win over Juventus in the play-offs.

PSV vs Arsenal LIVE

17:01 , Chris Wilson

Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of tonight’s Champions League match between PSV and Arsenal.

The Gunners travel to Eindhoven looking to take home a vital lead ahead of next week’s second leg, and they face a PSV side who dramatically beat Juventus to earn their place in the last 16.

We’ll have all chelatest updates and team news right here.