Our Carabao Cup campaign begins in the third round at Portman Road as we take on Ipswich Town on Tuesday, September 15, at 8pm (UK time).
The Tractor Boys overcame League One side Leicester City in the previous round to set up a clash with us for the first time in this competition since 2011, when we knocked Ipswich out in the semi-finals over two legs.
We reached the final of this competition last term, and as we gear up to do it all again, we’re also looking to register a seventh-straight victory at the start of this campaign against the Premier League new boys.
PROMOTION PROMISE
After celebrating promotion back to the top-flight for the first time in more than 20 years in 2024, Ipswich suffered relegation straight back to the Championship in 2024/25. The Tractor Boys bounced straight back up after finishing second last season, and there have been signs that this campaign will be different .
A dramatic late winner at home to Sunderland has been built upon with an enthralling 3-2 victory over 10-player Crystal Palace this weekend. Last time they were in the Premier League, Ipswich managed just four victories – their tally is already two after four matches.
Gary O’Neil has been tasked with keeping the Tractor Boys in the top-flight after replacing long-term manager Kieran McKenna this summer. The ex-Wolves boss can now turn his attention away from the Premier League and onto the League Cup, a competition they’re yet to win in their history.
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
Arteta: “We’ll look at the players’ eyes and they will say they want to play, and ‘I want to win a game, and I want to improve.’
“They will review the [Sunderland] game, and they will be willing for more because I know the boys.”
O’Neil: “Arsenal are tough to beat, even if you do everything right. I’ll make some changes to my team, I’m sure Mikel will make changes to his team, but it’s a game we want to win. I want to get as far in the cups as we can.
“We’re going to give it our best go at home under the lights. I think we missed the opportunity against Liverpool. We played well, but it was already 2-0. We missed the opportunity to use the energy of Portman Road under the lights against a big side.”
TEAM NEWS
Jurrien Timber returned to the pitch for the second half in our win over Sunderland for the first time since the Champions League final in May. That was at the expense of Ben White, who was forced off at half-time due to an injury.
Cristhian Mosquera and William Saliba both missed the trip to the Stadium of Light as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.
As for our hosts, summer signing Emersonn came off in the 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace with a quad issue. However, O’Neil said the Brazilian striker was likely to be rested anyway for our trip.
The striker is one of just three injury concerns for the hosts alongside Jack Taylor, who has a knee injury, and Azor Matusiwa, who has a thigh issue but could still be fit to play. Zian Flemming, who featured for Burnley in an earlier round, is eligible to play due to a change in rules by the EFL.
TALKING TACTICS
Adrian Clarke: O’Neil is a flexible tactician who is prepared to switch formations game by game, but so far his side has exclusively started in a 4-2-3-1.Much will depend on how much they want to rotate, but one of their key strengths is the number of skilful attacking midfielders and wide players at O’Neil’s disposal, while left-back Leif Davis has enjoyed an outstanding start, scoring twice and registering an assist. If the 26-year-old starts, we will need to track his marauding runs, while his precise left foot also deserves respect.
O’Neil’s central midfield unit in Premier League games has been built around the industry of Sasa Lukic and Exequiel Palacios, who are both aggressive in their style. Ex-Burnley man Florentino could come in and do a similar job, but if he starts Marcelino Nunez it will point towards a slightly bolder approach in that department.
I would expect us to have over 55% possession, so the two most dangerous areas we need to watch are Ipswich’s direct attacks on the break (they’ve already had 8 shots from those in four league games) and their threat from high turnovers. Two of their Premier League strikes have come in that manner, so do not be surprised if they press us with a little hostility.
However Ipswich have faced 26 league shots on target, a joint high in the division, leaking 10 goals in four outings. Caught a little open at times, they are not renowned for their compactness or solidity. With all this in mind, I expect a fairly open contest, with plenty of goalmouth action.
FACTS AND STATS
Ipswich have lost 14 of their last 18 meetings with us in all competitions (W2 D2), including six of their last seven without scoring, with the other a 1-0 League Cup semi-final first leg win in 2010/11.
We have progressed from two of our three previous League Cup ties against Ipswich, the 1970/71 second round and 2010/11 semi-final, losing the other 2-1 in the 2000/01 third round.
The Tractor Boys have progressed from seven of their last nine third-round ties in the League Cup, most recently against Wolves in 2023/24.
We have progressed from 21 of our last 23 third-round ties in the League Cup, falling at this stage only in 2014/15 (v Southampton) and 2022/23 (v Brighton).
Gary O’Neil has lost all four of his managerial meetings with us in all competitions (one with Bournemouth, three with Wolves). Only against Manchester United and West Ham has he managed more games without ever avoiding defeat (both five).
MATCH OFFICIALS
Sam Barrott will be in charge for tonight’s match. The 32-year-old took charge of our last domestic cup match, a 2-1 defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final. Constantine Hatzidakis and Alex James will be his assistants in Suffolk.
There will be no VAR for our visit to Portman Road. This is because of the EFL ruling that VAR can be used only in rounds of the competition when every stadium hosting a match has access to the technology.
Referee: Sam Barrott
Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis, Alex James
Fourth official: Josh Smith
PORTMAN ROAD VISITS
Our last visit to Portman Road in the League Cup saw the hosts cause a massive shock in the semi-final first leg back in the 2010/11 season, as Tamas Priskin netted the only goal of the game for the then Championship side. But we turned things around in the second leg at Emirates Stadium, winning 3-0 to book our place at Wembley.
Our visits to Suffolk in the Premier League have been much happier. In 2024/25, we won 4-0 with two goals from Leandro Trossard, plus efforts from Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri. Our previous visit saw goals from Freddie Ljungberg and Thierry Henry help us win 2-0 in December 2001.
LIVE COVERAGE
There will be live commentary of the game on Arsenal.com and The Arsenal app (download now on iOS/Android) from just before kick-off, when Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke will be behind the mics guiding you through all the on-field action.
You can also find out which broadcasters are showing the action live, wherever you are in the world.
Leave a Reply