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Unai Emery has three central midfielders playing. He knows Brugge are dangerous in there. He will also be keen to stop the ball getting out to the lively Brugge wingers.
“Arsenal couldn’t possibly unwin this tie, could they?!” Peter Oh No What A Terribly Gag has met everyone I went to primary school with.
Tenuous link to something I wrote a while ago about the Club Brugge head coach.
“Well, I for one and disappointed with that Arsenal lineup,” pens Charles Antaki. “There surely will never be a better opportunity to give the backroom personnel a chance to take the limelight: put the club doctor in goal, find a place for Stan and Josh Kroenke, Vik Akers in midfield (he’ll have arrived at the stadium in shorts anyway), invite Arsène over to boss the midfield, get Nicolas Jover on the wing, and the rest made up of catering stuff and one each of the older ball boys or ball girls. Gunnersaurus to come on at halftime to rescue the match, if PSV somehow managed to score a goal or two.”
I think it was Amorim who was willing to play the 63-year-old goalkeeping coach.
“You have to feel for Nathan Butler-Oyedeji,” writes Kieran McKintosh. “He’s 22, still not had a proper first-team appearance, not even scored on loan at Cheltenham or Accrington, and even in a game like this where it basically doesn’t matter who Arteta plays, a defender who is leaving at the end of the season gets a start up top before he does. Ouch.”
I have a feeling the young lad’s long-term future is not at Arsenal.
Over in Lille … Dortmund have turned it round. Can and Beier have netted for the Germans and they are winning 3-2 in the tie.
I think it’s fair to say that Arteta is giving some lads a runout. Kiwior, Sterling and Tierney all get a chance tonight.
Read Jonathan Wilson on Sterling and the fear of being played out too young.
Alternatively, we have Scott Murray on the Madrid derby.
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Gabriel, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Jorginho, Zinchenko; Sterling, Merino, Tierney
Subs: Neto, Setford, Saliba, Partey, Odegaard, Martinelli, Timber, Trossard, Calafiori, Butler-Oyedeji, Kabia, Nwaneri
PSV (4-3-3): Beintez; Ledezma, Nagalo, Obispo, Malacia; Til, Schouten, Babadi; Bakayoko Perisic, Driouech
Subs: Drommel, Schiks, Karsdrop, Flamingo, Dest, L De Jong, Lang, Boscagli, Bajratarevic, Veerman, Land
Teams: Aston Villa v Club Brugge
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; McGinn, Tielemans, Kamara, Rogers, Watkins, Rashford
Subs: Olsen, Zyvh, Disasi, Digne, Pau Torres, Asensio, Onana, Bogarde, Bailey, Ramsey
Club Brugge (4-3-3): Mignolet; Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Jashari, Vanaken; Talbi, Jutgla, Tzolis
Subs: Jackers, Romero, Vetlesen, Vermant, Nilsson, Skoras, Nielsen, Siquet, Spileers, Campbell
I was at Liverpool last night where we all had a little chat with Virgil van Dijk.
In the early kick-off today, Lille lead Dortmund 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate thanks to a Jonathan David goal.
Pre-match reading courtesy of Ed Aarons and William Saliba.
Preamble
It all seems a bit too straightforward for Arsenal and Aston Villa tonight for my liking. The Gunners would, I assume, disband if they fall to PSV after securing a relatively healthy 7-1 lead in the first leg. It screams dead rubber to me but maybe the Dutch side will fight back and secure the greatest turnaround in world football history*.
Aston Villa fluked their way to a 3-1 in Brugge last week and should really finish the job tonight. They should be a little wary of their opponent because Nicky Hayen’s side won 3-1 in Atalanta last month, so have pedigree of toppling teams higher up the food chain. An early goal for the Villans should, however, kill off the tie, then we can discuss the meaning of life for the rest of the evening.
Elsewhere in the mortal realm, Leeds host Millwall in what should be a spicy affair. Daniel Farke’s men were dumped out of the FA Cup by Alex Neil’s side this season, so are no mugs, although the lineups were much-changed. A win for Leeds will send them two points clear at the top with nine to play, an enticing prospect at Elland Road.
*they will not
