Arsenal begin their 2026–27 Carabao Cup campaign away to Ipswich Town on Tuesday night, and the fixture details are broadly correct: it is a third-round tie at Portman Road, kicks off at 8 p.m. BST, is refereed by Peter Bankes, and will not use VAR. The main update is that the confirmed teams are now available—and Arteta has made nine changes, including starts for 16-year-old Max Dowman and defender Brayden Clarke-Salmon.
Match details
Item Detail
Competition Carabao Cup, third round.
Fixture Ipswich Town vs Arsenal.
Venue Portman Road.
Kick-off Tuesday, September 15, 8:00 p.m. BST.
UK broadcast Sky Sports+.
Referee Peter Bankes.
VAR Not in use.
Arsenal enter at the third-round stage because of their European participation. They are seeking their first League Cup since 1993; they were runners-up last season, so the tournament provides a direct route to improve on that near miss.
Confirmed line-ups
Arteta has made nine changes from the side that beat Sunderland 2–0. The official Arsenal team is:
Arsenal Ipswich Town
Kepa Arrizabalaga Christian Walton
Gabriel Darnell Furlong
Brayden Clarke-Salmon Cédric Kipré
Myles Lewis-Skelly Jacob Greaves
Martín Zubimendi Abdoul Ouattara
Mikel Merino Florentino Luís
Bruno Guimarães Júlio Enciso
Noni Madueke Marcelino Núñez
Max Dowman Kasey McAteer
Eberechi Eze Anis Mehmeti
Viktor Gyökeres Jaden Philogene
Zian Flemming
The selection confirms several corrections to the proposed Arsenal XI. Jurriën Timber, Ezri Konsa and Piero Hincapié do not start; Gabriel begins, while Clarke-Salmon and Lewis-Skelly join him in a heavily changed defensive unit. Dowman’s inclusion is especially notable after Arteta said the teenager would need to earn any senior minutes.
Form and team news
Arsenal arrive unbeaten in six matches in all competitions this season, including Saturday’s 2–0 away victory over Sunderland. Ipswich most recently beat Crystal Palace 3–2, giving Gary O’Neil’s side a credible source of belief despite Arsenal’s status as Premier League champions.
Ipswich are without Jack Taylor and Azor Matusiwa, while Emersonn had a quad issue following the Palace win and was unlikely to feature. The hosts nevertheless name a competitive side, with Enciso, Philogene and Flemming giving them attacking threat.
What to watch
Arsenal’s rotation does not mean a weakened midfield. Zubimendi, Guimarães, Merino and Eze supply high-level control and creativity, while Gyökeres leads the line. The more experimental area is the defence, particularly with Clarke-Salmon receiving a major opportunity alongside Gabriel and Lewis-Skelly.
For Ipswich, the tactical opportunity lies in making the night physically demanding, exploiting the home atmosphere, and testing Arsenal’s unfamiliar defensive combinations early. O’Neil has promised his side will “have a right go,” while acknowledging that Arsenal’s depth means a rotated visiting team remains extremely difficult to face.
The previous meeting cited in the supplied report should be corrected: Arsenal’s last league encounter with Ipswich was a 4–0 home win in April 2025, not an unspecified result that should be used as a reliable indicator of this match. Ipswich’s changes of squad, manager and status since then make Tuesday’s cup match a different proposition.
What
