Arsenal will face PSV in a rearranged Europa League fixture on Thursday evening, with a point for the Gunners securing qualification to the knockout stages.
Arsenal were meant to face PSV in gameweek two of their Europa League campaign, but due to a lack of available police in London following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the game was forced to be postponed. Arsenal were meant to be playing Manchester City this week in the Premier League, but that game has now been rearranged to allocate a spot for the Europa League clash.
Mikel Arteta will know entering the game against PSV that a point will secure qualification to the knockout stage of the Europa League. The Gunners enter the clash in fantastic form, with a 1-0 win against Leeds in their last outing sending Arsenal four points clear at the top of the Premier League.
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Mohamed Elneny and Emile Smith Rowe are guaranteed absentees on Thursday, whilst Oleksandr Zinnchenko is expected to miss out again. Like they have done all season, sizeable changes are expected to be made to the starting XI.
So, what could the score be in Arsenal's clash with PSV? We simulated the game to find out.
Arsenal vs PSV simulated
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that Arsenal could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Turner; Cedric, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Lokonga, Xhaka, Vieira; Nelson, Nketiah, Marquinhos.
We predict that the Dutch side could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Benitez; Mwene, Ramalho, Obispo, Max; Sangare, Gutierrez; Simons, Veerman, Gakpo; Til.
PSV controlled the opening stages at the Emirates, creating more chances from the Gunners and unlucky not to be ahead. It was the first time this season that Arsenal looked second-best on the pitch, and they went behind 75 minutes in as Joey Veerman grabbed the opener.
As Arsenal pushed forward, a loose pass in midfield saw PSV counter the Gunners, with Cody Gakpo leading the charge. As he cut in from the left, Rob Holding was unable to spot the run of Veerman in behind, and after being found by Gakpo, the midfielder thrashed his shot in at the near post.
The visitors defended bravely in the final 15 minutes as the game entered added time, with the Gunners throwing everything at the Dutch side. But, after a corner was poorly cleared by PSV in the 95th minute, Arsenal capitalised and snatched a late equaliser.
Bukayo Saka's corner was punched into the air by the 'keeper, and as Philip Max attempted to clear the second ball, he could only slice his clearance into the path of Albert Sambi Lokonga. After plucking the ball out of the air, the midfielder struck a powerful effort across goal, flying into the far corner to level the score with the last kick of the game.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Arsenal 1-1 PSV
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Arsenal could earn the point needed to secure a spot in the Europa League knockout stages on Thursday with a 1-1 draw against PSV. The simulation predicted the clash to be one of the Gunners' toughest tests of the season, with a very late goal from Sambi Lokonga securing the draw.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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