Carabao Cup Team News: Arsenal and Ipswich Town Lineups Confirmed
Ipswich Town host Arsenal at Portman Road on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, with the Carabao Cup third-round tie kicking off at 20:00 BST. Mikel Arteta has named a strong squad built around Viktor Gyökeres and teenager Max Dowman, while Ipswich go into the game full of confidence after beating Crystal Palace 3-2 in their last outing. Both starting XIs and substitute lists have now been confirmed by the clubs, giving supporters a clear picture of how the tie is set to unfold.
Arsenal arrive on the back of five consecutive wins in all competitions, a run that has eased some of the pressure on Arteta’s squad depth this season. The Gunners have also won both of their previous two meetings with Ipswich, extending a strong head-to-head record against Ipswich Town. For all the optimism, this is still a knockout tie against a Championship promotion hopeful eager to cause an upset in front of their own supporters, and Ipswich’s challenge facing Arsenal should not be underestimated on a ground where visiting sides have historically found few easy nights.
Ipswich Town Confirmed XI and Substitutes at Portman Road
Ipswich Town’s starting XI reads: Christian Walton; Darnell Furlong, Cédric Kipré, Jacob Greaves, Abdoul Ouattara; Florentino, Marcelino Núñez; Kasey McAteer, Anis Mehmeti, Jaden Philogene; Zian Flemming.
The substitutes’ bench consists of Alex Palmer, Leif Davis, Sindre Walle Egeli, Julio Enciso, Saša Lukić, Dara O’Shea, Chuba Akpom, Daizen Maeda and Jack Clarke.
Walton keeps his place in goal after the win over Palace, with Furlong, Kipré, Greaves and Ouattara retained as the back four in front of him. Florentino and Núñez form the double pivot, tasked with shielding the defence and dictating tempo against opponents who will dominate the ball for long spells. Ahead of them, McAteer and Philogene provide width and pace on the counter, while Mehmeti operates centrally to link play with Flemming, who leads the line after his contribution to the win over Crystal Palace. The bench offers attacking cover in Akpom, Enciso and Clarke, giving the home side options to freshen up their forward line if the tie remains tight into the second half.
Arsenal Confirmed XI and Substitutes vs Ipswich Town
Arsenal’s starting XI: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Martín Zubimendi, Marli Salmon, Gabriel, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Bruno Guimarães, Mikel Merino; Max Dowman, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke; Viktor Gyökeres.
The substitutes named are Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Ezri Konsa, Christos Tzolis, Kai Havertz, Illan Meslier, Riccardo Calafiori, Ife Ibrahim and Theo Julienne.
Arteta’s selection reflects the balancing act of a midweek cup fixture during a five-match winning run: enough first-team quality to protect momentum, with room to rest key figures for the weekend. Kepa continues in goal ahead of Meslier, while Zubimendi is deployed as one of two centre-backs alongside Gabriel and academy graduate Marli Salmon, with Lewis-Skelly operating as the left-back in a back four. That configuration allows Guimarães and Merino to control the centre of the pitch as a double pivot, giving Arsenal composure on the ball against an Ipswich midfield set up to press aggressively in short bursts.
Further forward, the selection is the most eye-catching element of the team sheet. Dowman starts on the right of a front three that also includes Eze and Madueke, all supporting Gyökeres as the central striker. Eze’s inclusion in a more central, creative role gives Arsenal a direct passing outlet between the lines, while Madueke’s directness on the opposite flank should stretch Ipswich’s back four and create space for late runs from midfield. Dowman’s presence continues Arteta’s decision to trust Max Dowman in high-profile fixtures, and the teenager’s willingness to run in behind should test Furlong and Ouattara throughout.
Without Ødegaard, Saka and Havertz in the starting eleven, Arsenal’s build-up play is likely to rely more heavily on Guimarães and Merino progressing the ball into wide areas, rather than the usual central combinations through the captain. Gyökeres’ movement will be key to occupying Ipswich’s central defenders and creating the pockets of space that Eze and Dowman are best placed to exploit. Defensively, the back four of Zubimendi, Gabriel, Salmon and Lewis-Skelly will need to manage transitions carefully, given Ipswich’s pace on the counter through McAteer and Philogene. With Saka, Ødegaard and Havertz all available from the bench, Arteta retains the option to inject experience and further attacking threat if the tie is still finely balanced after an hour, underlining the strength in depth Arsenal can call upon even in a heavily rotated lineup.
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