Arsenal lineup vs PSV: Our top three – Arsenal play their first UEFA Champions League game in over six years as they welcome PSV to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. It is their first group match of the competition, and so they will want to get off to the perfect start in front of their home support.
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Current Arsenal stats – Final third dominance
Arsenal come into the game off the back of a narrow 1-0 win at Everton over the weekend, making it 13 points from a possible 15 in the Premier League so far.
One of the most impressive aspects about the Gunners' performances is just how much they dominate possession, as emphasised by their ‘field tilt'. This is, in layman's terms, their share of possession in the final third, and it's another metric in which they are unbeaten so far.
Impressively, the Gunners have posted over 80% in four of their five matches this term, with the smallest majority coming in the 1-0 victory away to Crystal Palace, where they played for over half an hour with 10 men.
Arsenal lineup vs PSV – Our top three
Leandro Trossard
After Gabriel Martinelli went off injured in the first half against Everton, Trossard replaced him in what was his fourth appearance from the bench. The Belgian opened up his left boot beautifully to place his effort first-time off of the inside of the post and into the net to hand his side all three points and end their Goodison Park curse.
Trossard is now averaging a goal contribution every two games (13 g/a in 26 appearances), despite a lack of starts, and will be looking to stake a claim to be a regular starter in Martinelli's absence.
Martin Odegaard
Odegaard is one of only a few players in the squad with Champions League experience, and has played PSV seven times before during loan spells in the Netherlands from Real Madrid.
The captain is the heartbeat of the team and will be looking to supply goals from midfield – he scored an impressive 15 last season and is averaging more shots per game (3.2) than any of his team-mates this term.
Bukayo Saka
Saka has never played in Europe's elite competition, and will be looking to light up the world stage after being nominated for the Ballon d'Or for the first time recently at just 22 years old.
The wing wizard averages more key passes (three), dribbles (two) and crosses (two) per match than anyone else in Mikel Arteta's side this campaign, and also tops the charts for tackles (2.6), boasting the less-familiar defensive side to his game.
The Final Word
Arsenal supporters will especially be looking forward to this fixture due to their previous absence, and rightfully so, but make no mistake, this is a very important game for the club and Arteta.
The North Londoners will want to show that they belong on the big stage, and Arteta will be desperate to prove himself as an elite manager, given that this is his first taste of the competition as the main man in charge.
They will also want to build confidence ahead of the much-anticipated North London derby on Sunday, where Tottenham Hotspur have made just as good of a start to the season as Arsenal, securing 13 out of a possible 15 points in the league.
Players like Trossard will have a point to prove in the absence of others in the squad, while Odegaard will be looking to lead by example and give the Emirates crowd something to cheer about when they leave on Wednesday night.
