The second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League Round of 16 between Arsenal (England) and PSV (Netherlands) will take place on March 12 at the Emirates Stadium in London. The first leg ended with a 7-1 victory for Arsenal. Arsenal vs. PSV: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Arsenal
The Gunners have already settled the outcome of this tie in the first match. Winning 7-1, the London side became the first team in the Champions League to score such a number of goals in an away playoff match. Additionally, Mikel Arteta's men extended their winning streak in this tournament to five matches. If there are no surprises in the return leg, Arsenal will progress to the quarter-finals of this European competition, just like last season.
- At least three goals have been scored in the last five matches of the English side in this tournament.
- At least one team failed to score in 7 of Arsenal's last 10 Champions League games.
- The club opened the scoring in 6 of their last 8 matches in this European competition.
Predicted lineup for Arsenal (4-3-3)
David Raya – Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Jurriën Timber – Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard – Mikel Merino, Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard.
Forwards Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka, as well as defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, will miss the match due to injuries.
PSV
Peter Bosz's side performed well in the group stage, overcoming a strong Juventus in the previous round, but faltered in the Round of 16, losing 1-7 at home. This defeat became the heaviest in the club's history in European competitions. To at least force extra time, PSV needs to pull off a sensation and defeat the Londoners by a six-goal margin at their stadium.
- Both teams scored in regular time in the last five matches of the Dutch side in this tournament.
- At least three goals were scored in 90 minutes in 7 of PSV's last 8 Champions League games.
- The Dutch have not won in 8 of their last 10 away matches in this European competition (3 draws and 5 losses).
Predicted lineup for PSV (4-3-3)
Walter Benítez – Olivier Boscagli, Richard Ledezma, Ryan Flamingo, Tyrell Malacia – Jerdy Schouten, Guus Til, Ismael Saibari – Ivan Perišić, Luuk de Jong, Noa Lang.
Defender Sergiño Dest, midfielder Malik Tillman, and forward Ricardo Pepi will miss the match due to injuries.
Referee
Rade Obrenović (Slovenia)
Matches – 9 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 43;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.8;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 22%.
Match Prediction: Arsenal vs. PSV
In the first leg, playing without traditional forwards, the Londoners managed to score seven goals effortlessly. This highlights Arsenal's immense attacking potential. I believe the second leg will also be high-scoring, as the Dutch have no reason to sit back and defend. On the contrary, the team will likely choose to play open football against the Gunners and push forward from the start.
I expect there to be three or more goals in this match. In the last five Champions League matches, Arsenal has scored at least three goals in four games and two goals in one. The visitors are also likely to score, as the Londoners may field a second-string side, which PSV's forwards can exploit. Overall, the Dutch have been consistent in scoring in the Champions League. In their last 11 matches in this tournament, PSV has failed to score only once.
My prediction – Total over 2.5 goals
