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Arsenal Faces Ipswich Town in Carabao Cup Clash

Arsenal’s long wait for League Cup glory resumes on Tuesday night at a ground that loves an upset.

Mikel Arteta takes his Premier League champions to Portman Road to face an Ipswich Town side buzzing from promotion and unafraid of reputations. The Carabao Cup has not been kind to Arsenal since Paul Merson and Steve Morrow dragged them to the trophy in 1993. Four finals lost since then, the latest against Manchester City last season, underline a curious blind spot for a club that has hoovered up almost everything else under Arteta.

This time, they arrive in Suffolk in ominous form.

Arsenal’s streak meets Ipswich’s surge

Arsenal travel on the back of six straight wins in all competitions, their perfect start to the season intact after a controlled 2-0 victory at Sunderland on Saturday. Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka settled that game, David Raya saving a contentious penalty to preserve yet another clean sheet.

Win at Ipswich and Arsenal will have seven wins from seven, Community Shield included, for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign. That was an era of swagger. This side is starting to carry the same air. Five clean sheets in six matches tell their own story.

Ipswich, though, are not simply there to make up the numbers.

Back in the top flight and riding the high of promotion, Gary O’Neil’s team have adapted quickly. An opening Premier League win over Sunderland set the tone, and they have followed that with a cup victory over Leicester City and a wild, late comeback against Crystal Palace. Zian Flemming’s 90th-minute winner against Palace, after Axel Disasi’s first-half red card, underlined the belief running through the squad.

There is a catch. Ipswich still leak goals. They have yet to keep a clean sheet this season and have conceded nine across their last three matches. Against an Arsenal side that rarely needs a second invitation, that fragility could be brutally exposed.

Old scars, familiar faces

These clubs do not cross paths often in this competition, but when they did, it left a mark.

The only previous League Cup meeting came in the 2010-11 semi-finals. Ipswich stunned Arsenal 1-0 at Portman Road in the first leg, only for their run to be crushed by a 3-0 defeat at the Emirates. The Tractor Boys will cling to the memory of that first leg as proof that this fixture can misbehave.

There is also a personal subplot. Ipswich striker Chuba Akpom, a product of Arsenal’s academy, could face his boyhood club for the first time. If he starts, every touch will carry a little extra charge.

Team news: rotation, risks and returns

O’Neil’s selection problems are relatively light. Jack Taylor (knee) and Azor Matusiwa (thigh) remain sidelined and are yet to feature this season. Emersonn came off with quad tightness against Crystal Palace, but his manager admitted the striker would likely have been rested anyway.

That opens the door for Flemming to lead the line. Crucially, he is eligible for Ipswich despite appearing for Burnley earlier in the competition, a quirk that could prove decisive given his recent heroics.

Arteta, by contrast, must juggle injuries with his usual cup rotation.

William Saliba is out with a back problem and 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 also a doubt, pushing Arsenal towards a reshaped back line.

Arteta is expected to make close to nine changes, but this will not be a weakened side in spirit. Kepa Arrizabalaga is set to continue as the designated cup goalkeeper, while Viktor Gyokeres is in line to spearhead the attack. For a competition Arsenal have not won in over three decades, the squad depth on display should be striking.

Form, shape and likely XIs

Ipswich’s approach under O’Neil has been bold, often open, and at times chaotic. Goals at both ends feel almost guaranteed. Against a technically superior Arsenal, that bravery could either ignite the tie or leave them badly exposed.

Predicted lineups underline the contrast: Ipswich’s cohesion against Arsenal’s depth.

Ipswich Town predicted XI (4-2-3-1):

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

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

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

Arsenal’s possible front four of Noni Madueke, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Gyokeres would be a statement of intent in any competition. For Ipswich, the wide threat of Jaden Philogene and the movement of Julio Enciso between the lines will be crucial if they are to unsettle a rotated, but still imposing, visiting defence.

The stage and the stakes

Portman Road will be full, loud and hopeful. Kick-off is at 20:00 BST, with Peter Bankes in charge and no VAR in operation. That last detail might just encourage a little more risk, a few more challenges, a bit more chaos.

Arsenal may see this as the season to finally end their League Cup drought. Ipswich will see it as a chance to announce their return to the elite with a statement scalp.

Only one of them can be right.

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