How Arsenal have fared in last five matches against PSV Eindhoven | OneFootball

It's fair to say that Arsenal have gotten to know PSV Eindhoven fairly well in recent years.

The Gunners are preparing to face the Dutch champions in the Champions League round of 16 having made light work of the all-new league phase. Victories in their final four games saw them finish third in the table, which ensured they avoided two extra games in February.

Mikel Arteta's side may well have expected to return to Italy in March with Juventus and Milan among their potential last 16 opponents, but upset victories for PSV and Feyenoord guaranteed a Dutch adventure.

By drawing PSV, Arsenal are on the same side of the draw as PSG, Liverpool, Club Brugge, Aston Villa, and the two Madrid clubs. However, the Gunners have flat-lined in attack in the absence of their leading goalscorers and nothing is coming easy to the north Londoners right now. While PSV are struggling also, there's no guarantee of an Arsenal victory over two legs.

Ahead of the Gunners' return to the Philips Stadion, here's how their five most recent clashes against PSV panned out.

Arsenal 1-1 PSV - March 2007

Alex's goal knocked Arsenal out of the 2006/07 Champions League / Clive Mason/GettyImages

Arsenal are facing PSV for the first time in the knockout stages of the Champions League since they were stunned by the Dutch side in the 2006/07 last 16.

Arsene Wenger's side were beaten 1-0 in Eindhoven thanks to Edison Mendez's second half goal, meaning they needed to win by a couple of goals at the Emirates to advance. An Alex own goal restored parity in the tie but the Chelsea loanee would later make amends by delivering the crushing blow which saw Arsenal exit the competition.

The Brazilian defender headed home superbly in the closing stages of the second leg to send PSV into the quarter-finals, but Liverpool made light work of Ronald Koeman's side in the last eight on their way to the final in Athens.

Arsenal 1-0 PSV - October 2022

Granit Xhaka's goal split the two sides in their first meeting for 15 years / Craig Mercer/MB Media/GettyImages

Both teams were European regulars in the intervening years, but the two clubs avoided facing off against each other until they were paired together in Group A of the 2022/23 Europa League.

This was the season which saw Mikel Arteta's project soar in north London, as the Gunners overcame disappointment of missing out on a top-four spot the campaign prior by emerging as surprise title contenders.

Arsenal overcame FC Zurich away from home and twice beat Bodo/Glimt before they met PSV at the Emirates. The visitors were dominant in north London but were wasteful in front of goal. However, their taming of a talented PSV attack laid the foundations for victory, and Granit Xhaka, who was in the middle of a career year in front of goal, delivered the decisive blow with 20 minutes to go.

PSV 2-0 Arsenal - October 2022

Xavi Simons stole the show when the Gunners visited Eindhoven in the Europa League / BSR Agency/GettyImages

Arteta was keen on using the extremities of his squad in Europe, but their lack of high-quality depth was exposed in Eindhoven.

Arsenal had controlled their opening encounter with PSV the week before, but the Dutch side were dominant at the Philips Stadion as they secured a 2-0 victory which closed the gap on the group leaders to two points.

A Gunners XI containing the likes of Rob Holding and Albert Sambi Lokonga couldn't contain on-loan playmaker Xavi Simons, who was hugely influential in the first half. Cody Gakpo, then regarded as a Manchester United transfer target before he moved to Liverpool, came to the fore after a quiet showing at the Emirates. Neither star was on the scoresheet but goals from Joey Veerman and Luuk de Jong proved the difference. The hosts also had three goals disallowed.

Arsenal 4-0 PSV - September 2023

The Emirates faithful enjoyed Arsenal's Champions League return / Julian Finney/GettyImages

The Emirates had longed for Arsenal's Champions League return. More than six years had passed since Bayern Munich rocked up at their playground to humiliate the Gunners one last time. A 5-1 mauling at the hands of the Bavarian giants was the final memory supporters had of their side in Europe's premier club competition.

The north Londoners missed out on title glory in 2022/23 but they returned to the promised land under Arteta. The iconic anthem awaited, and Peter Bosz's PSV stood little chance. It was a celebratory night for Arsenal in their group stage opener on home soil, with Bosz's high-octane style ruthlessly exposed by a burgeoning Gunners outfit that had quickly become savvy on the European stage.

The hosts were up 3-0 at the break before the excellent Martin Odegaard added some extra gloss to the scoreline in the closing stages.

PSV 1-1 Arsenal - December 2023

PSV were far more competitive in the reverse fixture / ANP/GettyImages

Arsenal had already wrapped up the group by the time the reverse fixture came around, with PSV also qualifying for the next phase despite succumbing in style on Matchday 1.

Arteta rotated heavily in Eindhoven: Jakub Kiwior started at left-back, Kai Havertz functioned ahead of Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny in midfield, while Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah operated in attack. PSV weren't at full strength either.

A smart Nketiah finish broke the deadlock just before half-time, but Bosz's side rallied at the start of the second half through Yorbe Vertessen, who went on to play for Union Berlin before joining RB Salzburg in the summer.

There was no great determination from either side to snatch a winner, so the two sides played out a rather forgettable 1-1 draw.