Arsenal begin their Carabao Cup campaign away to Ipswich Town on Tuesday, September 15 at 8pm UK time, and the third-round tie at Portman Road already carries more edge than a routine cup date. Arsenal are chasing a seventh-straight victory to start the season, while Ipswich are trying to turn a home night under the lights into another statement result.
That is why Ipswich Vs Arsenal is drawing interest now. Ipswich reached this stage by beating Leicester City in the previous round, then kept their momentum going in the league with wins over Sunderland and Crystal Palace, while Arsenal reached last season’s final and now enter the competition late. It is also the first time the clubs have met in this competition since 2011, when Arsenal knocked Ipswich out in the semi-finals over two legs.
Mikel Arteta has made it clear his players will be judged by their appetite as much as their status. He said he will look at their eyes and expect them to want to play, win and improve, adding that the group will review the Sunderland game and want more because he knows the boys. That lines up with the expectation that Arsenal will not stay unchanged, even if the exact number of alterations is not fixed.
Gary O'Neil was even more direct about the state of the tie. He said he will make some changes to his team and expects Arteta to do the same, but still wants his side to win. He also said Arsenal are tough to beat even if everything is done right, and that Ipswich want to go as far as they can in the cups. For Ipswich, the match is another chance to measure themselves against a Premier League side after returning to the top flight in 2024 and then dropping straight back down in 2024/25.
The problem for Ipswich is that ambition is arriving alongside a growing injury list. Emersonn came off in the 3-2 win over Crystal Palace with a quad issue, Jack Taylor has a knee injury and Azor Matusiwa has a thigh problem, though he could still be fit to play. O'Neil said Emersonn would likely have been rested anyway against Arsenal, which leaves the squad with one more selection problem than it wanted on a night when it is trying to keep a cup run alive.
There is at least one boost in the shape of Zian Flemming, who is eligible to play because of a change in EFL rules. Adrian Clarke has also noted that O'Neil is a flexible tactician prepared to switch formations game by game, even though Ipswich have so far started exclusively in a 4-2-3-1. Leif Davis, who has scored twice and registered an assist at the start of the season, gives Ipswich a player who can tilt the game if Portman Road turns hostile for Arsenal. What remains unclear is how bold both managers will be when the teams are named, but the first answer comes on Tuesday night rather than in the buildup.
