PSV vs Arsenal prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-12-11 17:45.
With first and second place settled in UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group B, runners-up and runaway Eredivisie leaders PSV can afford to give it their all in what is now a dead rubber against group winners and Premier League challengers Arsenal. Despite the low stakes nature of this affair, don’t bank on PSV taking it easy as they head into this brimming with confidence after extending their perfect league record at the weekend to 15 straight victories.
Now just two games shy of equalling the Eredivisie record set by themselves for the longest winning start to a campaign back in 1987/88, PSV will hope to keep their momentum going on the continental stage. To do so, they must buck some questionable form against English sides across the last eight such encounters (W1, D3, L4), with the most recent of those games a chastening 4-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in the reverse.
The Premier League title race took yet another twist last weekend as Arsenal’s six-game winning streak ended with a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa, meaning just two points separate the top-three sides. It remains to be seen whether Mikel Arteta will tinker with his lineup with a busy domestic schedule over Christmas in mind, but he will expect a strong showing nonetheless after posting their biggest UCL win since 2007/08 in round five (6-0 vs Lens).
It wasn’t just the scoreline that Gunners fans can take pride from in their last continental outing, as they also became the first side to have five different scorers in the first half of a UCL match. Even so, another dominant performance here isn’t assured, as Arsenal have a mixed record away to Dutch opponents (W3, D3, L3) with the most recent of those games a 2-0 defeat here in Eindhoven just last season.
Players to watch: Luuk de Jong leads the way for PSV this season with 17 competitive goals. Two of his last three were match openers and he also scored a home goal against Arsenal in 2022/23. Trying to outdo him may be Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus, who has assisted a goal in each of his last three scoring appearances, two of which came in the UCL.
Hot stat: Arsenal are unbeaten in 16 of their last 19 European away games (W12, D4, L3).