Arsenal's Quest for Carabao Cup Glory Against Ipswich Town

Arsenal’s long Carabao Cup wait goes back more than three decades. The reigning Premier League champions begin another tilt at the trophy on Tuesday night, away to an Ipswich Town side riding the high of their top-flight return and a growing sense that Portman Road can unsettle anyone.

Arteta’s team arrive with six straight wins in all competitions, their season already humming with the familiar rhythm of control, clean sheets and late-game authority. Ipswich, under Gary O’Neil, bring something different: noise, momentum, and a refusal to play the role of grateful hosts.

They have already beaten Crystal Palace and Leicester City in recent weeks. They will not be cowed by the champions.

Old scars, old stories

Arsenal’s relationship with this competition is awkward. They have not lifted it since 1993, when Paul Merson and Steve Morrow inspired victory over Sheffield Wednesday. Since then, four finals, four defeats, the most recent coming against Manchester City last season.

The Carabao Cup is the only domestic trophy Arteta has yet to crack. For a club that has reasserted itself at the top of English football, that gap nags away in the background.

There is also a little bit of history with Ipswich. The clubs have met just once before in this competition, in the 2010-11 semi-finals. Ipswich won the first leg 1-0 at Portman Road, only to be swept aside 3-0 at the Emirates. The Tractor Boys still remember the night they had Arsenal wobbling. Arsenal remember how ruthlessly they slammed the door.

This time, there is an extra twist. Chuba Akpom, once a highly rated product of Arsenal’s academy, could face his boyhood club for the first time. Portman Road loves a storyline. This one writes itself.

Match details

Ipswich Town vs Arsenal – Carabao Cup
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, gaps and a gamble

O’Neil’s selection puzzle is relatively straightforward. Jack Taylor (knee) and Azor Matusiwa (thigh) are out, but neither has kicked a ball this season, so the core of his squad remains intact.

The one concern is in attack. Emersonn came off with quad tightness against Crystal Palace. O’Neil admitted he would likely have rested him anyway, and that points towards Zian Flemming starting through the middle.

Flemming is an intriguing figure in this tie. He is eligible for Ipswich despite having already appeared in the competition for Burnley earlier in the campaign, and he arrives with momentum after his dramatic 90th-minute winner against Palace. Give him a sniff and he tends to make it count.

Ipswich’s problem is not scoring. It is stopping teams at the other end. They have yet to keep a clean sheet this season and have conceded nine goals in their last three matches. Against Arsenal’s rotation, that fragility will be tested from the first whistle.

Arsenal team news: rotation with an edge

Arteta will shuffle his pack, but this is not a throwaway XI. Arsenal are without William Saliba, still sidelined with a back problem and not expected back for a couple of months. Ben White is a fresh worry after limping off with a groin issue against Sunderland, and Cristhian Mosquera remains a doubt.

The changes will be sweeping – close to nine from the weekend are expected – yet the quality remains eye-catching. Kepa Arrizabalaga is set to continue as the designated cup goalkeeper. Viktor Gyokeres is in line to lead the line, a powerful focal point for a supporting cast that could include the likes of Noni Madueke, Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze.

This is the modern Arsenal: even the “second” team looks built to dominate.

Form guide: chaos vs control

Ipswich have thrown themselves back into Premier League life with admirable abandon. An opening win over Sunderland set the tone, followed by a cup victory over Leicester and that wild comeback against Crystal Palace, sparked by Axel Disasi’s first-half red card and finished by Flemming’s late strike.

They score, they entertain, they leave the back door open. O’Neil will know that against Arsenal, one lapse can turn a tight contest into a long night.

Arsenal, by contrast, look measured and relentless. Their perfect start continued at Sunderland on Saturday, where second-half goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka sealed a 2-0 win. Even a contentious penalty award could not derail them, with David Raya saving from the spot to preserve another clean sheet.

If they win at Portman Road, Arsenal will stretch their winning start to seven games in all competitions, Community Shield included, for the first time since the 2004-05 season. They have kept five clean sheets in six matches. The numbers scream control.

Predicted lineups

Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1, predicted):
Walton; O'Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Palacios, Nunez; Philogene, Enciso, Maeda; Flemming

Arsenal (4-2-3-1, predicted):
Kepa; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Guimaraes; Madueke, Merino, Eze; Gyokeres

Where to watch

The game will be shown live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports+.

Portman Road will do its part. The noise, the sense of occasion, the chance to bloody the nose of the champions. Arsenal, though, have their own itch to scratch. Thirty-three years without this trophy. How long can a team this ruthless tolerate that gap on the honours board?