Arsenal have enjoyed quite the start in the Premier League with nine wins from ten games, with the Gunners’ form in the UEFA Europa League has been just as good, yet PSV Eindhoven this week will prove to be their biggest test yet.
The Dutch giants have been one of the best teams in all of Europe this campaign, with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side sitting second in the Eredivise table and scoring an incredible 35 goals in the division, more than league leaders Ajax as well as reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in the English top-flight.
With top spot in the Europa League now guaranteeing clubs a bye to the round of 16, Arsenal finishing first ahead of PSV will be crucial if Mikel Arteta is to claim European success this campaign, and a win this week at the Emirates Stadium would give the Gunners plenty of breathing space.
PSV could give Arsenal their biggest test yet this season, and with that in mind, here are five players the Premier League leaders need to watch out for if they’re to claim all three points in north London in their quest to finish top of Group A.
Xavi Simons
PSV made quite the splash in the summer by managing to sign PSG wonderkid Xavi Simons on a permanent deal, beating the likes of Rangers to the teenager’s signature. And to say the transfer has worked out would be something of an understatement.
The 19-year-old has taken to senior football in his native Holland like a duck to water, with Simons bagging ten goals and four assists in all competitions. And with the youngster able to play in numerous positions, the former FC Barcelona academy star could cause Arsenal problems on Thursday night in north London.
Joey Veerman
One of Van Nistelrooy’s early tactical revelations has been to get the midfielders heavily involved in the final-third of the pitch when in an attacking sequence, and no better can this been seen in Joey Veerman, who this season has been quite the revelation from the centre of the park.
The 23-year-old has featured in every game for PSV this season, scoring six goals and assisting five, and Veerman will no doubt want to keep his record going against Arsenal at the Emirates, with the midfielder already proving to be a talent who could soon be heading to the Premier League based on his form under Van Nistelrooy.
Noni Madueke
Noni Madueke is a name that many English football fans might be familiar with following the winger’s decision to leave Tottenham for PSV back in 2019, with the choice to swap north London for Eindhoven proving to be the right move for the Three Lions youth international.
Whilst the attacker is yet to play a minute this season due to injury, Van Nistelrooy stated this week that Madueke will be available this week to play Arsenal, and for the former Tottenham wonderkid, getting one over against his former rivals would be quite the statement to Spurs and interested parties.
Guus Til
Another big winner of Van Nistelrooy’s system is 24-year-old Dutch international Guus Til, who joined PSV in the summer and has already made quite the impact with the Eredivise side, with the Zambia-born midfielder already on seven goals and two assists in all competitions this season.
The former Feyenoord star tends to operate as an attacking midfielder but has been deployed as the centre-forward in a 4-3-3 formation, and whilst Til might be an unassuming attacker, Arsenal need to be wary of what Til can do when given the time to work his magic in and around the 18-yard box.
Cody Gakpo
Erling Haaland might have stole headlines across Europe for his goalscoring exploits, yet one player has actually done better than the Manchester City superstar in terms of goal contributions, that being PSV captain Cody Gakpo, who this season has been nothing short of remarkable.
Wanted by the likes of Leeds, Arsenal and Southampton in the summer, the Dutch international has already racked up an astonishing 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, beating out Haaland’s 23 goal contributions by one at the time of writing, and there’s a good chance that Gakpo could extend this record on Thursday against the Gunners.
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