The postponement of Arsenal's scheduled Premier League home tie against Everton means Mikel Arteta had some free time on his hands Sunday afternoon.
As a football fanatic, the Gunners boss may have took the opportunity to do some homework on his next test - a visit from Eredivisie outfit PSV Eindhoven, providing the clash gets the go ahead.
The Dutch side, led by enemy of the Arsenal faithful Ruud van Nistelrooy, were in action against RKC Waalwijk at home and Arteta would have potentially sat down and scouted which players he should be wary of when PSV come to visit on Thursday.
Arsenal hope to welcome PSV to the Emirates for match-day two of their Europa League effort, knowing a win against them would already go a long way to sealing their status as group winners.
Coming first in the group is of particular importance in this season's edition of the competition as it means the team in question are granted a rest, they do not have to play in the round of 32.
PSV are undoubtedly Arsenal's toughest opponents of the group stage, having already seen off Swiss outfit FC Zurich with relative ease courtesy of a dominant 2-1 away win.
Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt make up the final side in the group, currently second after their 1-1 draw in Eindhoven last week.
With that in mind, Mirror Football kept a close eye on PSV's lst-gasp 1-0 home draw with Waalwijk and identified four players Arteta should make the extra effort to thwart on Thursday.
Cody Gakpo
It goes without saying that Arsenal should be wary of PSV's main dangerman. In truth, Arteta is likely to have already drawn up plans on how to stop Gakpo from influencing the game given he wanted to sign the Dutchman this summer.
The Gunners weren't the only Premier League side keen on enticing Gakpo away from Eindhoven in recent months. Across the entirety of the window, all of Arsenal, Manchester United, Leeds, Brentford and West Ham were touted with a move for the forward.
Therefore, it came as a shock when he eventually opted to stay put for at least until the turn of the calendar year. Gakpo's performance on Sunday afternoon was one from a man in form.
Coming into the tie, the 23-year-old had six goals in six Eredivise games and came so close to adding another two to that tally in the first half but struck the frame of the goal on both occasions.
A set-piece specalist, Gakpo's prowess from dead-balls should be something Arsenal take note of. It was the former Gunners target that stepped up right at the death to convert from 12-yards and hand PSV all three points.
Xavi Simons
The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder endured a difficult game, as though he was a passenger for the most part - in fleeting moments his brilliance shone through for all to see.
Xavi's ability to beat a man with the deftest of body feints or silky skill is the kind of weapon Van Nistelrooy will encourage the Dutchman to deploy as he looks to spring a surprise in North London.
At one stage, on the edge of the box before he fired a shot just wide, Xavi managed to execute a stunning pirouette to throw off his marker - that is something the likes of Arsenal's current holding midfield option Albert Sambi Lokonga will have to be wary of.
Looking to revive his career in the Eredivisie after a surprise PSG exit, a top-tier display at the Emirates could be the kind of game that provides Xavi with the platform he craves with much of the footballing world watching.
He'll have to do better than he did on Sunday, but the raw ingredients are well within his armoury.
Ismael Saibari
Another one of PSV's dynamic young forwards, Saibari came within a whisker away from scoring a delightful strike against Waalwijk after he glided past three defenders before firing a fantastic effort goal-bound.
Unfortunately for Van Nistelrooy's side, Saibari's shot was just tipped round the post by opposition goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen.
The pace of Saibari alone is enough to casue any defender a headache, with Arsenal likely to deploy a central defensive pairing of Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes, the 21-year-old's eyes may light up at the prospect of getting in behind.
The Moroccan youth international was replaced just before the hour mark, but his fast start to the game will be enough for Arteta to sit up and take notice.
Erick Gutierrez
While there are a number of attacking options PSV boast that should cause some concern among Arsenal's ranks, their own creative players will hardly relish coming up against Gutierrez if this display is anything to go by.
Despite all of PSV's dominance, Waalwijk could have taken the lead were it not for the Mexican international's intervention. Just as Thierry Lutonda was about to pull the trigger for the visitors, Gutierrez executed a sensational slide tackle to prevent what looked to be a certain goal.
The 27-year-old has established himself as a particularly important cog in Van Nistelrooy's system in recent weeks, which explains the club's decision to hand Gutierrez a new three-year contract extension just last month.
A tough tackler, he did pick up a yellow card for his troubles mid-way through the second half. On a yellow and with PSV chasing a goal, Gutierrez was withdrawn 20 minutes before the end.
Arsenal new boy Fabio Vieira could be in line for a second successive start and may have to be at his best to get the better of the imposing presence of Gutierrez in the middle of the park.
