When Arsenal and PSV meet in the Champions League, a former Tottenham player makes a joke at Arsenal.

Because of his link to Tottenham, Arsenal’s most formidable adversaries, Perisic’s remark is felt more keenly than it would otherwise be. Over the course of his 18-month tenure with the Lilywhites, the Croatian legend participated in two north London derbies, both of which he was unsuccessful in winning.

After a spectacular recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear at this late stage of his career, the 36-year-old has forced his way into PSV’s starting XI and is set to line up against the Gunners when they travel to Eindhoven for the first leg of their last-16 encounter on Tuesday night. The match will take place in Eindhoven.

Prior to the match, Perisic expressed his admiration for Arsenal, but he did so with some qualifications. “It’s going to be difficult,” he made the admission. They are a very, really talented squad, a youthful club with a fantastic coach, but throughout the course of the past few years, they have consistently been lacking something that would allow them to step up and emerge victorious.

I have a lot of faith in my team, and I absolutely know that we are going to have an excellent chance of beating them tomorrow. When it comes to strategy, we need to be at the top of our game in order to demonstrate superiority over them.

Since the FA Cup in 2020, Mikel Arteta’s team has not been able to bring home a trophy. Image courtesy of Michael Regan/Getty Images
Arteta’s team has finished in second place in the Premier League in each of the two seasons prior to this one, and they are currently trailing Liverpool in the fight for the championship. Over the course of Arteta’s five-year career at Arsenal, the club won only one trophy: the FA Cup in 2020.

An unexpected victory over Juventus in the knockout play-offs of the Champions League was achieved by PSV, who overcame a deficit in the first leg of the match. Perisic scored in both of the matches. The Dutch team that is now the reigning champions, on the other hand, have only won one of their last six matches across all tournaments. Although the team managed by Peter Bosz has not had any problems with scoring, they have not been able to retain a single clean sheet thus far in this calendar year.

During the course of this week, Bosz stressed that “Defending begins with the attack.” “Then we immediately put pressure on the ball, which allowed us to win it back quickly and often not have to defend at all.”

The smart Dutch coach issued a warning that PSV would not be altering their strategy, despite the fact that their recent run of results showed cause for concern. “I know my team well and it’s not a guarantee that with a low block you won’t get any goals against,” he said with frustration. “We have achieved success with this style of play and the same players.” According to Perisic, who was eager to point out, the most recent incarnation of Arsenal has not experienced a great deal of success themselves.