- 1 Ipswich Town vs Arsenal: the Premier League champions have conceded just one goal in four games
- 2 Ipswich Town: a brutal run before the cup
- 3 Arsenal: 12 from 12 and a defence locked down
- 4 Football Prediction Ipswich Town vs Arsenal
- 5 First, a word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information can change
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the visuals…
Ipswich Town vs Arsenal: the Premier League champions have conceded just one goal in four games 
Arsenal have conceded just one goal in their first four Premier League matches. No other side in the division has been that hard to break down at this stage of the season.
The English champions head to Portman Road on Tuesday 15 September, with kick-off at 21:00 CEST. Sky Sports Football will show the match.
The third round of the EFL Cup is a single leg. No return fixture, no second chance: one of these clubs is out after 90 minutes or penalties.
Ipswich Town booked this tie by beating Leicester City 3-1 in the last round. The Suffolk club have already handled a knockout game before welcoming the champions.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are chasing only a third win in this competition. It remains the rarest trophy in their cupboard among England’s major honours.
The two sides last met in April 2025, also at Portman Road. Arsenal left with a 4-0 Premier League win.
September’s schedule shapes the way this one is viewed. Arsenal opened their Champions League campaign in Naples on 9 September and came away with a 1-0 win.
The gap in quality between the squads is still very real, but this format leaves room for an upset. The key question is which starting XI Mikel Arteta is prepared to sacrifice in the cup.
The winner of this tie will know their next step very quickly. The draw for the fourth round is set for Wednesday 16 September.
Sky Sports Football picked this fixture for live coverage. Two Premier League sides on the pitch. That was always going to be enough.
Ipswich Town: a brutal run before the cup 
Ipswich Town shipped five goals at Old Trafford on matchday two of the Premier League. The 5-2 defeat at Manchester United remains the low point of their start.
They also lost at home to Liverpool, who took their first win of the season at Portman Road. Two top-half opponents, two defeats.
The trip to Crystal Palace on 12 September stretched an already punishing run. So the third round of the EFL Cup arrives after three seriously tough weeks.
The win over Leicester City is the clearest marker for this group. A 3-1 victory over a Championship side shows they can get a knockout night right.
Portman Road is the other reason Ipswich can have some hope. Liverpool won there, yes, but they were made to work for it for long spells.
A one-off tie naturally narrows the gap between the two squads. A strong start and a goal lead could change the whole feel of the night.
The turning point is likely to come down the right side. In their first three Premier League matches, 47.5% of Arsenal’s touches in the opposition half came in the right-hand third.
The context of the last round is worth spelling out. Leicester City are in League One this season, the third tier of English football.
Ipswich’s early schedule has offered no breathing space. Manchester United, Liverpool and Crystal Palace have come and gone in three and a half league games.
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Arsenal: 12 from 12 and a defence locked down 
Arsenal have taken 12 points from a possible 12 in their first four Premier League matches. Just one goal conceded across that run, and a perfect start at the top of the table.
Their 2-0 win at Sunderland on Saturday — thanks to Bruno Guimarães and Bukayo Saka from the penalty spot — kept the unbeaten run rolling since the restart.
The club are still nursing the memory of losing the 2026 Champions League final on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain. Their new European campaign began with a 1-0 win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Martin Ødegaard scored the decisive goal in Naples. Since then, Mikel Arteta has explained the new role he wants from his captain in attack.
Arsenal’s summer business followed the same logic as their football. They didn’t chase a big-name left winger and instead chose to strengthen the flank where they were already strongest.
Rotation is the main unknown for this trip. The Gunners were at Sunderland on Saturday 12 September and are back in league action straight after this cup tie.
Only two EFL Cup titles sit in the club’s trophy cabinet. That gives the competition real value for a squad that just won the league.
Matchday four took Arsenal to the Stadium of Light on 12 September. Sunderland had four points before that home game.
Being the reigning champions changes the way this round is viewed. Arsenal don’t need to rescue a season, so they can treat the cup as an added target.
Probable Ipswich Town line-up: Not available at time of publication.
Probable Arsenal line-up: Not available at time of publication.
Football Prediction Ipswich Town vs Arsenal
Our prediction: Arsenal to win
Arsenal have conceded only one goal in four Premier League games and kept a clean sheet in Naples. That defensive steel is the cleanest argument on the night.
Ipswich have shipped five at Manchester United and lost at home to Liverpool. The last meeting between these two at Portman Road ended 4-0 to the London side in April 2025.
Expected rotation from the visitors does not change the real balance between the two teams in a one-off match. Arsenal to win at Portman Road.
Ipswich beat a League One side in the last round, not a top Premier League outfit. The size of the test is completely different on Tuesday night.
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