For Arsenal, the biggest side in European football now awaits. No pressure, then.
With the Premier League title race done and dusted, the sole remaining opportunity for the Gunners to win anything this term is the Champions League.
Rice-Zinchenko-Tierney-Arsenal
They've swatted PSV Eindhoven to one side, defeating the Dutch side 9-3 on aggregate and proven that, despite a list of injuries, they can score goals with the right conditions. That said, Real Madrid in the quarter-finals will be a stern test, perhaps the sternest you can be given in this competition.
By the time that tie comes around, they will hope that Bukayo Saka is back fit and available.
After all, if they end up taking on Carlo Ancelotti's side with the XI that drew 2-2 with PSV on Wednesday, they won't stand a chance.
Arteta's makeshift lineup against PSV
Taking a 7-1 lead to the Emirates this week, Arteta was always going to make changes to his starting lineup in a bid to rest and rotate.
Some of those changes were expected. Ben White - currently building up to full fitness following injury - came in for Jurrien Timber.
Arteta-Ben-White
Jorginho came in for Thomas Partey and Raheem Sterling replaced wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri on the right. The 17-year-old has been mesmeric this season and certainly deserved a night off.
Sterling shone as he supplied two assists, the second of which was a superb piece of direct play, darting to the byline and then pulling the ball back to Declan Rice who headed home powerfully.
There were, however, two rather unexpected changes by the club's Spanish tactician. Kieran Tierney was one of them.
No, he wasn't at left-back. Myles Lewis-Skelly started there. Instead, the Scot started on the left wing.
The £25m signing - whose contract expires this summer - has played there on a few occasions, introduced as a substitute, but he hasn't started there.
Kieran-Tierney-Arsenal-PSV
It's a role that suits his athletic ability, not that he had many chances to do what he does best which is drive forward and swing a cross in.
Another rare start fell the way of Oleksandr Zinchenko. It's safe to say he did pretty well.
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Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Arsenal may have found their Granit Xhaka replacement
When Granit Xhaka left Arsenal behind in the summer of 2023, fans were rightfully gutted.
Despite his rollercoaster time of it in north London, he left a hero having scored nine goals during his final campaign in England.
granit-xhaka-arsenal-transfer-manchester-city-yaya-toure-arteta
But, even with the arrival of club-record man Rice, few would have expected the Swiss to still need replacing nearly two years on.
Arteta tried and failed to replace his output with Kai Havertz. A midfielder by trade, the German has ended up playing as a centre-forward and to his credit, has thrived. Still, he's not playing in the Xhaka role.
Arsenal's Kai Havertz with manager Mikel Arteta after being substituted
Mikel Merino was signed last summer and ironically, is now having to deputise for Havertz up top. He is not playing in the Xhaka role either.
So, during a game that, truth be told, was a bit of a non-event, Zinchenko stepped forward and staked his claim for that position.
It was actually in the Martin Odegaard role that the £30m Ukrainian started on Wednesday but showed exactly why he deserves to play more often in the centre of the park.
Zinchenko vs PSV
Minutes played
Touches
Accurate passes
Key passes
Big chances created
Crosses
Shots on target
Successful dribbles
Possession lost
Stats via Sofascore.
Zinchenko learnt his trade as a midfielder until Pep Guardiola crafted him into an inverted full-back at Manchester City. After moving to Arsenal, he's performed a similar role.
Yet, versus PSV, he offered everyone a timely reminder of his qualities and unbelievable technique, notably opening the scoring with a rasping, curling effort.
In all honesty, this was one of Zinchenko's best nights in an Arsenal shirt, driving forward with the ball and progressing play in a way Xhaka would have been proud of. He consequently earned an 8/10 rating courtesy of Football.London.
For so long, Arteta has struggled to find someone capable of filling the void but the former Man City ace may well have just provided a solution. Ranking in the top 1% of full-backs in the top five European leagues for progressive passes, there is perhaps no better profile in Arsenal's squad for playing as the left 8 in this system.
Zinchenko-Sterling-Arsenal
Arsenal have been struggling to create and they've been struggling to score with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Havertz missing through injury. So, surely Arteta will take any solution he can get his hands on?
Zinchenko has offered a glimmer of hope when most thought his career in N5 was done and dusted.
Arsenal-Martin-Zubimendi Related
[Better than Zubimendi: Arsenal must regret "losing" incredible star in 2021](https://www.footballfancast.com/arsenal-must-rue-losing-dani-ceballos-whos-outperforming-zubimendi/ "Better than Zubimendi: Arsenal must regret "losing" incredible star in 2021")
Arsenal may have made a mistake in not keeping hold lf the star after his time away from the Emirates.