Arsenal not only comfortably avoided an all-time collapse but, more importantly, any additional injuries as they drew PSV Eindhoven 2-2 to wrap up a 9-3 aggregate victory in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday.
MORE – Latest Champions League scores, knockout stage bracket
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Declan Rice scored in the first half for Arsenal, but Ivan Perisic and Couhaib Driouech pulled PSV level each time. Up next for Arsenal is one of the Madrid sides in the quarterfinals. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are currently stuck in a 2-2 deadlock after 180 minutes and headed for extra time in the Spanish capital.
The Gunners did all of the hard work leg last week as they hammered the Dutch side 7-1 in the away leg, affording Mikel Arteta the opportunity to rest and rotate a number of regular starters in north London this week. Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri were all protected with an eye toward Sunday’s Premier League showdown with rivals Chelsea. Odegaard, Martinelli and Timber all came on for the final 10 minutes to replace Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney and Ben White, all of whom made rare starts on the night.
Player ratings - Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven
What’s next?
- Arsenal vs Chelsea — Sunday, 9:30 am ET (Premier League)
- Arsenal vs Real Madrid (2) or Atletico Madrid (2) in UCL QFs (Apr. 8-16)
Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven live updates - by Andy Edwards
Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven final score: 2-2 (9-3 agg.)
Goalscorers: Oleksandr Zinchenko (6'), Ivan Perisic (19'), Declan Rice (37'), Couhaib Driouech (70')
GOAL! Arsenal 2-2 (9-3) PSV: Driouech runs in behind and beats Raya with a big chip (70')
Couhaib Driouech chips it over David Raya for his first ever #UCL goal 🤩 pic.twitter.com/IlK6G72Y8b
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 12, 2025
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 (9-2) PSV: Rice heads home Sterling’s cross (37')
Raheem Sterling serves it up on a plate for Declan Rice 🍽️ pic.twitter.com/Nrq7nbyWIi
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 12, 2025
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 (8-2) PSV: Perisic lifts one past Raya on a quick counter (19')
Ivan Perišić caps off lovely build up play with a stunning finish ✨ pic.twitter.com/xs6xdbskiu
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 12, 2025
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 (8-1) PSV: Zinchenko scores from outside the box against his former club (6')
Oleksandr Zinchenko nets his first #UCL goal for Arsenal 🙌 pic.twitter.com/t2ropp7juu
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 12, 2025
Arsenal starting lineup
Raya - White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly - Jorginho, Rice, Zinchenko - Sterling, Tierney, Merino
PSV Eindhoven starting lineup
Benitez - Ledezma, Nagalo, Obispo, Malcia - Schouten, Til, Babadi - Bakayoko, Driouech, Perisic
How to watch Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 4pm ET Wednesday (March 12)
Venue: Emirates Stadium — London
TV/Streaming: Paramount+
Despite struggling to score goals in the Premier League of late (just one during a three-game winless skid), Arsenal scored with nearly half of their 15 shots in the first leg. Martin Odegaard was the only Gunner to score twice, as Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard and Ricardo Calafiori all got on the scoresheet as well. Manager Mikel Arteta called the win “very significant” but admitted it was only a stepping stone and not the final destination for his side — a point which was driven home by another lackluster performance in a 1-1 draw with a terribly poor Manchester United side on Sunday.
PSV snapped a four-game winless run in Eredivisie play over the weekend by beating Heerenveen 2-1 at home, with just one change to the side that was beaten by Arsenal four days earlier.
Arsenal team news, focus
OUT: Bukayo Saka (hamstring), Kai Havertz (hamstring), Gabriel Jesus (torn ACL), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee)
PSV Eindhoven team news, focus
OUT: Esmir Bajraktarevic (undisclosed) | QUESTIONABLE: Malik Tillman (ankle), Ricardo Pepi (knee)
Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven prediction
Don’t be surprised if Arteta makes a handful of changes (whether from the start or at halftime) to protect the likes of Odegaard and Declan Rice, while getting Gabriel Martinelli a substantial run-out to build up his fitness after returning from a hamstring injury against Man United. Arsenal 2-0 PSV Eindhoven (9-1 on aggregate).
