Arsenal's League Cup Quest: Facing Ipswich Town in Third Round

Arsenal’s long wait for a League Cup feels strange for a club of their size. Yet it stretches all the way back to 1993. On Tuesday night at Portman Road, the reigning Premier League champions begin another attempt to fix that gap in their honours list – and they walk straight into an Ipswich Town side buzzing from their own resurgence.

Gary O’Neil’s team are back in the top flight and playing like they belong there. Two wins on the bounce, Crystal Palace and Leicester City beaten, confidence rising. Arsenal arrive with something even more ominous: six wins from six in all competitions, a defensive record that looks mean, and a manager who knows this competition owes his club something.

Old scars, new stakes

Arsenal’s history in the League Cup is a mix of frustration and near-misses. Since Paul Merson and Steve Morrow dragged them to glory over Sheffield Wednesday in 1993, they’ve reached four finals and lost the lot, the most recent defeat coming against Manchester City last season.

Portman Road carries its own little reminder of jeopardy. The only previous meeting between these clubs in this competition came in the 2010-11 semi-finals. Ipswich nicked the first leg 1-0, sending a shiver through north London, before Arsenal swept them aside 3-0 at the Emirates to reach the final. The Tractor Boys couldn’t finish the job then. They’ll fancy a crack at it now.

There’s an extra edge in the shape of Chuba Akpom. The Ipswich striker came through Arsenal’s academy and could face his boyhood club for the first time. Motivation will not be in short supply.

The details

Ipswich Town vs Arsenal – Carabao Cup, third round

Date: Tuesday, 15 September 2026

Kick-off: 20:00 BST

Venue: Portman Road

Referee: Peter Bankes (no VAR)

Last meeting: Arsenal 4-0 Ipswich Town (Premier League, April 2025)

Ipswich team news: goals flowing, defence leaking

O’Neil’s selection problems are relatively light. Jack Taylor (knee) and Azor Matusiwa (thigh) are out, but neither has kicked a ball this season, so the shape of the side remains familiar.

The one real question mark is in attack. Emersonn was withdrawn with quad tightness against Crystal Palace, though O’Neil indicated he would probably have been rested anyway. That opens the door for Zian Flemming, who is available despite having already played in this competition for Burnley earlier in the season. He looks the obvious candidate to lead the line.

Ipswich’s form has been thrilling and chaotic. They have adapted quickly to Premier League life: an opening win over Sunderland, a cup victory against Leicester, then that wild comeback against Crystal Palace, sealed by Flemming’s 90th‑minute winner after Axel Disasi’s first-half red card.

The problem sits at the other end. No clean sheets yet, nine goals conceded in their last three matches. Against Arsenal, that’s a dangerous habit.

Expected Ipswich XI (4-2-3-1):

• Walton; O’Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Palacios, Nunez; Philogene, Enciso, Maeda; Flemming.

Arsenal team news: rotation, but no let-up

Mikel Arteta will shuffle his pack, but this will not be a soft Arsenal side.

William Saliba is still out with a back problem and is not expected back for a couple of months. Ben White is a fresh concern after limping off with a groin issue against Sunderland. Cristhian Mosquera is a doubt as well, tightening the options in central defence.

Arteta is likely to make close to nine changes, leaning on the depth that helped deliver last season’s title. Kepa Arrizabalaga is set to continue as his cup goalkeeper. Viktor Gyokeres, the summer signing built for English football’s more rugged nights, is in line to spearhead the attack.

The supporting cast looks strong enough to start for most Premier League clubs. Martin Zubimendi and Bruno Guimaraes can anchor midfield, while Noni Madueke, Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze bring invention and running behind Gyokeres.

Expected Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1):

• Kepa; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Guimaraes; Madueke, Merino, Eze; Gyokeres.

Form guide: steel vs chaos

Arsenal’s start has been almost flawless. Six wins from six, Community Shield included. At Sunderland on Saturday they had to work for it, but second-half goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka secured a 2-0 victory, with David Raya saving a contentious penalty to preserve another clean sheet.

Five shutouts in six games underline the shift in mentality. This is a team that knows how to suffocate matches as well as light them up. Win at Portman Road and they’ll have opened the season with seven straight victories for the first time since 2004-05.

Ipswich are the opposite right now: open, entertaining, vulnerable. They score, they concede, and they keep going until the final whistle. That relentless spirit, roared on by a home crowd hungry for big nights again, is their best weapon against a side as polished as Arsenal.

Where to watch

The tie will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports+.

Arsenal arrive chasing a trophy that has taunted them for more than three decades. Ipswich step into the occasion with nothing to lose and a habit of making life uncomfortable. One of them will leave with momentum sharpened. The other will be left wondering what this early marker says about the months ahead.