Sport nationPSV captain hails ‘quality’ Arsenal duo ahead of Champions
PSV v NEC Nijmegen – Dutch Eredivisie
PSV’s Luuk de Jong got a goal and an assist against Arsenal last season (Photo: Getty)
PSV captain Luuk de Jong has picked out the two Arsenal players he’s most concerned about ahead of their Champions League clash.
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Arsenal host the Dutch side on Wednesday night in what will be their first UCL game in over six-and-a-half years.
They have been drawn into a fairly generous group that also includes Europa League champions Sevilla and French club Lens, but the Gunners know all too well that they could end up on the wrong end of an upset.
Case in point, PSV beat them 2-0 in their last meeting just last season in the Europa League group stage, and De Jong is looking forward to the challenge of playing them again.
‘They [Arsenal] are going to be the toughest games for us but also the nicest,’ the former Barcelona and Newcastle striker told The Times.
‘I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to give away too much information. I’m kidding!
‘We have a style and when we play against any team we want to play to our qualities, the way we want.
Arsenal Men’s First Team Squad 2023/24
Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are among the best players in the Premier League (Photo: Getty)
‘Maybe we will change some things tactically. You have to watch out against teams like Arsenal as little errors will kill you, they will score goals. Maybe there will be little changes.’
The 33-year-old went onto highlight the threat of two of Mikel Arteta’s stars, and his choices won’t be much of a surprise.
He added: ‘Arsenal have a lot of quality players. Bukayo Saka is the one player who has so much individual quality to win games, and Martin Odegaard offers something different.’
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England winger Saka has, as expected, stated the season in scintillating form, scoring two and assisting three in six games, and the PSV clash will mark the 22-year-old’s Champions League debut.
Odegaard has also scored twice this season, captaining his side to an unbeaten start which he’ll aim to maintain at the Emirates on Wednesday.
Arteta will however be without Gabriel Martinelli, with the Brazil forward recovering from the hamstring injury that forced him off at Everton last weekend, though he could yet return for this Sunday’s North London Derby against Tottenham.
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PSV captain hails ‘quality’ Arsenal duo ahead of Champions
PSV v NEC Nijmegen – Dutch Eredivisie
PSV’s Luuk de Jong got a goal and an assist against Arsenal last season (Photo: Getty)
PSV captain Luuk de Jong has picked out the two Arsenal players he’s most concerned about ahead of their Champions League clash.
Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis
Enter your email
Sign up
Privacy Policy
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Arsenal host the Dutch side on Wednesday night in what will be their first UCL game in over six-and-a-half years.
They have been drawn into a fairly generous group that also includes Europa League champions Sevilla and French club Lens, but the Gunners know all too well that they could end up on the wrong end of an upset.
Case in point, PSV beat them 2-0 in their last meeting just last season in the Europa League group stage, and De Jong is looking forward to the challenge of playing them again.
‘They [Arsenal] are going to be the toughest games for us but also the nicest,’ the former Barcelona and Newcastle striker told The Times.
‘I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to give away too much information. I’m kidding!
‘We have a style and when we play against any team we want to play to our qualities, the way we want.
Arsenal Men’s First Team Squad 2023/24
Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are among the best players in the Premier League (Photo: Getty)
‘Maybe we will change some things tactically. You have to watch out against teams like Arsenal as little errors will kill you, they will score goals. Maybe there will be little changes.’
The 33-year-old went onto highlight the threat of two of Mikel Arteta’s stars, and his choices won’t be much of a surprise.
He added: ‘Arsenal have a lot of quality players. Bukayo Saka is the one player who has so much individual quality to win games, and Martin Odegaard offers something different.’
MORE: TRENDING
zone post image for post 19526062
Arsenal make approach to sign £80m striker ahead of Chelsea in January
zone post image for post 19525619
Daniel Levy reveals Tottenham buy-back clause for Harry Kane
zone post image for post 19519706
Rio Ferdinand praises Arsenal star who has ‘fitted like a glove’ into Mikel Arteta’s side
England winger Saka has, as expected, stated the season in scintillating form, scoring two and assisting three in six games, and the PSV clash will mark the 22-year-old’s Champions League debut.
Odegaard has also scored twice this season, captaining his side to an unbeaten start which he’ll aim to maintain at the Emirates on Wednesday.
Arteta will however be without Gabriel Martinelli, with the Brazil forward recovering from the hamstring injury that forced him off at Everton last weekend, though he could yet return for this Sunday’s North London Derby against Tottenham.
MORE : Bayern Munich will be ‘disappointed with anything less than a 2-0 win’ over Manchester United, says Didi Hamann
MORE : Arsenal legend slams ‘League Two’ standard Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
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