Blues boss Gary O’Neil knows Arsenal will be a very strong side regardless of the changes his opposite number Mikel Arteta makes for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie at Portman Road (KO 8pm, Sky Sports+).
Town, who beat League One Leicester City 3-1 at home in their second round tie, will be aiming to reach the fourth round of the competition for only the second time in 16 years - they were beaten by Fulham at that stage in 2023/24 - since playing the Gunners in the semi-finals in 2011.
Current Premier League champions Arsenal were beaten 2-0 by Manchester City in last season’s Carabao Cup final and haven’t won the trophy since 1993 when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 at the old Wembley. Last year’s defeat was their fourth unsuccessful final appearance since then.
The Gunners have made a strong start to 2026/27 having taken a maximum 12 points from their four Premier League games and sit top of the table ahead of City on goal difference.
They also beat City 3-0 in the Community Shield and won 1-0 away in Napoli in the Champions League, their only other fixtures.
O’Neil has never tasted victory against Arsenal in four attempts with his previous clubs Bournemouth and Wolves. Saturday’s 3-2 win at Crystal Palace was his first win against the Eagles as a manager and after the match at Selhurst Park was asked whether that might be a good omen going into Tuesday’s match.
"I’m not sure,” he said. "We’ve done well against Arsenal. I remember some top performances when we were playing a load of kids at Wolves, a load of kids that did unbelievably well. I think it was 1-0 until the very last minute and then they scored again.
"We also gave them a bit of a scare at the Emirates once, I think [Matheus] Cunha scored [in a 2-1 defeat].
"Arsenal are tough to beat, even if you do everything right. I’ll make some changes to my team, I’m sure Mikel will make changes to his team.
"But it’s a game we want to win. I want to get as far in the cups as we can, so we approach the game on Tuesday and we’re going to give it our best go at home under the lights.
"I think we missed that opportunity against Liverpool, we played well against Liverpool, but it was already 2-0. We missed the opportunity to use the energy of Portman Road under the lights against the big side.
"So on Tuesday we can correct that. We can start the game well, we can take the fans with us on an attempt against beating one of the best sides around.”
O’Neil knows the Blues will be facing a very strong team even if Arteta makes the expected widespread changes and he was asked how he plans for what may be an unfamiliar looking but still outstanding Gunners XI.
"I guess we prepare for a top side to come,” he said. "We know whether it’s [Bukayo] Saka or [Noni] Madueke, for instance, they’re going to be good on the right wing.
"And the same with the centre-backs, whichever ones he goes with, they’re going to be good, the midfield the same.
"They’ll have a consistent structure, at least. One of the positives of playing in Arsenal is that they’re very, very consistent in what they do, so prepping the game from a tactical point of view will be fairly straightforward.
"Stopping them and stopping what they do will not be straightforward, so there’ll be some work that goes into that.
"But we’ll also have a strong side. We’ve worked our socks off in the transfer window to give ourselves a strong squad.
"Of course, a different level to Arsenal at this moment, but we’ll be strong on Tuesday and we’ll do our best to win the game.”
The North Londoners will be fighting on a number of fronts this season with the Premier League and the Champions League their priorities. Does the Carabao Cup being lower on their list give the Blues an opportunity?
"Maybe, but the squad is so strong that if they play their starting XI, they’ll have all their best players on the pitch,” O’Neil continued. "If they play their second XI, they’ll have a fresh XI on the pitch that’s still strong.
"So it’ll be a tough game for us, definitely. But one that we can look forward to, especially off the back of this [win at Palace]. The club has worked so hard to have these moments. And, of course, it’s a cup game.
"But to have Arsenal and Liverpool coming to Portman Road a few days apart, a week or so apart, is what everyone has worked so hard for in recent years, so we’re going to enjoy it.
"We’re going to have a right go and then the worst thing that can happen is we lose to Arsenal. And then we pick ourselves up and we get ready for Everton, so we’re looking forward to the week.”
O’Neil has selected a relatively consistent starting XI in the Premier League so far and Tuesday’s game will give those who have been on the fringes an opportunity to stake a claim, although the Town boss says he’s already aware that everyone in his squad can step up when required.
"To be honest, they don’t really need to,” he insisted. "I have massive respect for all of them. Really tough leaving out Darnell [Furlong] and Anis [Mehmeti] from the matchday squad today. They came, they were unbelievably positive around the group. They’ve gone and got their work done after the game.
"Doing things like that to good people is tough, it’s one of the toughest parts of the job, but I have faith in them. Just everyone’s fit at the moment and we’ve had to recruit a strong squad to get us through an unbelievably challenging season.
"So there’s going to be moments, Chuba [Akpom] missed out last week, but he’s back on the bench today. There’s going to be spells, I’m sure, where I have to speak to every single one of them and leave them out from something.
"But they’re all ready, they’re definitely ready to go on Tuesday. Whoever I pick, I have 100 per cent faith that they’re ready and they’re going to represent what we do and how we go about it.
"And then we have a big game at Everton and then we get ourselves a little break.”
If the tie is level after 90 minutes, it will go straight to penalties. The draw for the fourth round takes place on Wednesday live on Sky Sports at around 10.15pm, following the tie between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion.
As was the case with the Leicester tie, the Blues’ first game in the competition this season, O’Neil is likely to switch most of his team, although perhaps while keeping one or two more of his first-choice players in the XI on this occasion given the strength of the opposition.
Christian Walton seems likely to return in goal with Furlong at right-back. Skipper Dara O’Shea was one of only two players to retain their place for the Foxes tie, along with Marcelino Nunez, and may again be kept in the team, probably moving inside to centre-half. Cedric Kipre looks likely to be alongside him.
Abdoul Ouattara could be at left-back, although Leif Davis may be another of the regular starters O’Neil might consider keeping in the side.
In midfield, Florentino Luis seems certain to be handed his first start for the club having made his debut as a sub at the weekend with Nunez - or perhaps Ouattara - alongside the former Burnley man if he opts to rest both Exequiel Palacios and Sasa Lukic.
Ahead of them, Kasey McAteer could be on the right with Daizen Maeda returning on the left, although O’Neil may look at starting Jaden Philogene, the former Aston Villa man having returned as a sub at Palace following his ankle injury.
Sindre Walle Egeli was used as the number 10 against Leicester and may well get the nod again.
Zian Flemming, who played for Burnley in the previous two rounds, scoring once, but with the rule on cup-tied players having been relaxed, seems set to make his first start for the club as the central striker having bagged his first Town goal to win the game at Palace on Saturday.
It’s anticipated Arteta will make also wholesale changes to his line-up for their visit to Portman Road.
Keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is likely to be in goal with number one David Raya expected to join fellow first-team regulars Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard in being rested.
Right-back Ben White is also unlikely to be involved having come off due to a groin injury during Saturday’s 2-0 win at Sunderland. Jurrien Timber, who came off the bench at the weekend, is again set to be his replacement.
William Saliba remains sidelined with a back injury, while Cristhian Mosquera has been out with a muscle issue and Piero Hincapie seems likely to come into the XI alongside either Ezri Konsa or Gabriel Magalhaes at the centre of the defence with Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back.
Martin Zubimendi is set to be drafted into the midfield with Bruno Guimaraes, who signed from Newcastle United in the summer, continuing as he gets back up to speed after recent injuries.
Madueke is expected to be on the right, Eberechi Eze on the left with Max Dowman, who is still only 16, or Mikel Merino the number 10. Viktor Gyokeres will probably come in as the out-and-out striker.
Arsenal have had the best of the games between the teams historically, winning 32 (29 in the league), drawing 11 (10) and losing 18 (15).
The clubs last met in the competition, then known as the Carling Cup, at the semi-final stage in January 2011.
In the first leg at Portman Road, Tamas Priskin netted the only goal in a 1-0 victory for a Blues side with Charlie McParland in caretaker charge, Roy Keane having been sacked a week earlier and with incoming boss Paul Jewell watching from the stands.
A fortnight later, with Jewell having taken the reins, the North Londoners won the Emirates leg 3-0, Nicklas Bendtner, Laurent Koscielny and Cesc Fabregas scoring after Town had kept them at bay for 61 minutes.
Prior to that, Town beat the Gunners 2-1 at Highbury in the third round of the competition in October 2000, Jamie Clapham and James Scowcroft on target for the Blues and Igors Stepanovs for the home side.
The teams also faced one another in the second round in September 1970 when Arsenal won a replay at Highbury 4-0, Ray Kennedy scoring twice and John Roberts and John Radford once each, after a 0-0 draw at Portman Road.
Most recently, the sides faced one another in April 2025 at Portman Road in the Premier League when Leandro Trossard netted twice and Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri once each as Arsenal comfortably beat 10-man Town 4-0 to inflict the Blues’ seventh successive home loss - a new club record - and move relegation a step nearer to being confirmed.
There was really only one side in it throughout with Trossard giving the Gunners the lead on 14, before Martinelli added the second in the 18th minute, prior to Davis being shown a straight red card for catching Saka high up the back of his calf.
Then, in the second half, Trossard added a third on 69 and sub Nwaneri a fourth with two minutes left on the clock.
Just after Christmas 2024 at the Emirates, Kai Havertz’s first-half goal was enough to see Arsenal to a 1-0 victory over the Blues.
The Gunners utterly dominated the first half but with Town limiting their chances, while the Blues had more opportunities to counter-attack in the second period but without ever seriously threatening to get back on terms.
Town striker Akpom was with Arsenal from the age of six, going on to make his senior debut in the Premier League aged 17 in September 2013. In total, the former England U21 international made one start and 11 sub appearances for the Gunners without scoring.
Blues director of performance Andy Rolls was first-team physio with Arsenal from 2013 until 2018.
First-team analyst Cillian Callaly was previously in the same role at Arsenal having been with their academy prior to that.
Tuesday’s referee is Peter Bankes, his assistants Constantine Hatzidakis and Alex James, and the fourth official Josh Smith.
Merseyside-based Bankes has shown seven yellow cards and one red in his two games this season, both in the Premier League.
Bankes’s most recent Town match was the 2-1 home defeat to Wolves in April 2025 in which he cautioned Alex Palmer, Julio Enciso and two of the visitors.
Prior to that, he took charge of the 2-1 win at Bolton Wanderers as the Blues battled to avoid relegation from the Championship in April 2019, keeping his cards in his pocket throughout.
Two months earlier, he was in the middle for the 3-0 defeat at Norwich in which he sent Blues boss Paul Lambert and Canaries head of performance Chris Domogalla to the stands following the fracas between the benches just before half-time. He also yellow-carded Cole Skuse, Jon Nolan and Flynn Downes as well as four Canaries.
Bankes was also the referee for the 1-1 draw at Bolton in January 2018 in which he booked Dominic Iorfa and home striker Gary Madine.
Before that he was in charge of the 2-0 home win against Reading the previous month in which he cautioned Jonas Knudsen, Martyn Waghorn and Adam Webster as well as four Royals.
He also refereed the 2-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest in November 2016 in which he booked David McGoldrick and two visiting players.
Three months earlier, he took control of the 0-0 draw at Wolves in which one of his linesmen disallowed what replays showed was a perfectly good Daryl Murphy goal.
He also awarded the home side a penalty after Webster had fouled Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, but Bartosz Bialkowski saved the Icelander’s spotkick, and yellow-carded seven players, five of them from Town: Knudsen, Luke Chambers, Teddy Bishop, Christophe Berra and sub Kevin Bru.
Bankes had officiated in two Blues games before that one, January 2016’s 0-0 draw at Burnley, in which he cautioned two Clarets, and the 2-2 home draw with Bristol City in September 2015, in which he booked three of the visitors.
Scherpen, Walton, O’Shea (c), Furlong, Diop, Greaves, Kipre, Davis, Ouattara, Lukic, Florentino, Palacios, Nunez, Fatawu, McAteer, Enciso, Walle Egeli, Clarke, Mehmeti, Maeda, Philogene, Emersonn, Flemming, Akpom.