As one of the nine English clubs participating in a European Competition, Arsenal will be drawn directly into the 3rd round of the Carabao Cup. The 2nd round of the Carabao Cup has come to an end, following Man United’s shock defeat to Grimsby Town. Now, with United out of the picture, the 3rd round fixtures were drawn. Here’s a preview of the fixtures list:
Carabao Cup 3rd round fixture list:
Port Vale vs Arsenal
Swansea City vs Nottingham Forest
Lincoln City vs Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur vs Doncaster Rovers
Brentford vs Aston Villa
Huddersfield Town vs Man City
Liverpool vs Southampton
Newcastle United vs Bradford City
Sheffield Wednesday vs Grimsby Town
Wolves vs Everton
Crystal Palace vs Milwall
Burnley vs Cardiff City
Wrexham vs Reading
Wigan Athletic vs Wycombe Wanderers
Barnsley vs Brighton
Fulham vs Cambridge United
Arsenal Draw Port Vale
The draw matched up Port Vale against Arsenal. The Burslem based side are currently 23rd in the EFL League One, just one spot above last place.
The Gunners faced Port Vale 22 times so far. Arsenal has 13 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses against them. The last time they met, Arsenal needed an FA Cup replay and a penalty shootout to get past the Valiants.
The Gunners will head into the tie as heavy favourites. While Port Vale did well to beat a Championship side, Arsenal will be too much for them to handle. The tie will be played in the week commencing 22nd September 2025.
An overview of Arsenal in the Carabao Cup
The Gunners were crowned winners of the EFL Cup 2 times in their history. However, it has been 32 years since the last time they won, which was in 1993. They first won it during the 86/87 season and then during the 92/93 season. Surprisingly, their 2 wins make them the club with the 9th most EFL Cups to their name. To emphasize, even the Invincibles side, consisting of the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, failed to win the trophy.
Arsenal have been to a total of 8 EFL Cup finals. They’ve been the Runners-up more times than any other club in history, with 6 final losses.
A 3-0 loss against Man City in the 17/18 season was their most recent appearance in the EFL Cup final.
During the 24/25 season, Arsenal were drawn against Bolton Wanderers, another League One team. The London club flew past Bolton as they won 5-1. Following Bolton was Preston North End, who suffered a 3-0 defeat, and then Crystal Palace, who were knocked out with a 3-2 win. Finally, the Gunners were defeated by Newcastle United in the Semi-Finals. Newcastle managed to put 4 past Arsenal as they
How far can Arsenal go?
Arsenal started the season in great form. All things considered, the club looks all set to compete for all the titles, after seasons of just falling short. Moreover, the signings they’ve made and the depth they have currently, we can expect a very deep run in the EFL Cup. In fact, the Gunners will be seen as one of the favourites to win the entire thing. They’ve gone 32 years without the Cup. If there ever was a time for them to win it, it’s now.