Arsenal's Carabao Cup Journey Begins Against Ipswich Town

Arsenal return to a familiar hunt on Tuesday night: chasing a trophy that has eluded them for more than three decades.

The Premier League champions begin their Carabao Cup campaign at Portman Road against an Ipswich Town side brimming with belief and noise, back in the big time and eager to bloody a heavyweight nose.

Arsenal’s long wait, Ipswich’s new edge

Arsenal have not lifted this competition since 1993, when Paul Merson and Steve Morrow dragged them past Sheffield Wednesday. Four finals have come and gone since then, the most recent ending in defeat to Manchester City last season. For a club that has reasserted itself at the top of English football, that gap grates.

Ipswich, meanwhile, come into this with the swagger of a promoted side that has found its feet quickly. Gary O’Neil’s team have stitched together back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Leicester City, and they have done it the hard way – late drama, numerical disadvantage, and a refusal to wilt.

Their last brush with Arsenal in this competition still lingers in Suffolk. In the 2010-11 semi-finals, the Tractor Boys stunned the Gunners 1-0 in the first leg at Portman Road before a 3-0 defeat at the Emirates ended the dream. This time, there is no second leg. One night, one shot.

There is also a personal twist. Chuba Akpom, once a highly rated product of Arsenal’s academy, could face his boyhood club for the first time in senior football. If selected, every touch will carry a little extra charge.

The stage and the stakes

Ipswich Town vs Arsenal

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)

For Arsenal, this is about more than rotation and minutes. Mikel Arteta’s side arrive on a run of six straight wins in all competitions, their perfect start stretching from the Community Shield to a controlled 2-0 victory at Sunderland on Saturday, sealed by second-half strikes from Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka and underlined by David Raya’s save from a controversial penalty.

Extend that run to seven, and they will match a start not seen since the 2004-05 season. That is the company this group is keeping.

Ipswich, though, have their own story to write. An opening Premier League win over Sunderland, a cup victory over Leicester, then a wild, dramatic comeback against Crystal Palace, completed by Zian Flemming’s 90th-minute winner after Axel Disasi’s first-half red card. They have shown they can live in chaos.

What they have not shown yet is defensive control. O’Neil’s side are still waiting for a first clean sheet of the season and have conceded nine goals across their last three games. Against an Arsenal team that has kept five shut-outs in six, the contrast is stark.

Team news: changes, gaps and chances

O’Neil’s problems are selective rather than sweeping. Jack Taylor (knee) and Azor Matusiwa (thigh) are out, but neither has featured this season. Emersonn came off with quad tightness against Crystal Palace, though his manager suggested the striker would likely have been rested for this tie anyway. That points towards Flemming leading the line, and he is available despite already playing in the competition for Burnley earlier in the campaign.

At Arsenal, the reshuffle will be heavier. William Saliba remains sidelined with a back issue and is not expected back for a couple of months. Ben White is a fresh concern after limping off with a groin problem against Sunderland, while Cristhian Mosquera is a doubt of his own.

Arteta is expected to lean hard on his squad, with close to nine changes anticipated. Kepa Arrizabalaga is set to continue as the designated cup goalkeeper, and Viktor Gyokeres is in line to spearhead the attack. For players on the fringes of the starting XI, this is a rare and valuable audition in a competition that Arsenal have historically treated as a proving ground.

Form lines and predicted XIs

Ipswich’s form line reads like a rollercoaster: goals, red cards, late winners, but no clean sheets. Arsenal’s is the opposite: control, structure, and a defensive record that has become a statement in itself.

Predicted lineups

• Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1): Walton; O’Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Palacios, Nunez; Philogene, Enciso, Maeda; Flemming
• Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Guimaraes; Madueke, Merino, Eze; Gyokeres

One side chasing validation at the highest level of the Premier League. The other chasing a scalp and a surge of momentum in their first season back.

Portman Road will be loud. Arsenal’s standards will be high. The question is simple: does this cup finally become part of Arteta’s era, or does Ipswich turn a routine assignment into a night that won’t be forgotten in Suffolk?