Arsenal visit Ipswich as Liverpool host Spurs in Carabao Cup

What happened

Arsenal travel to Ipswich Town and Liverpool host Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday 15 September as the Carabao Cup third round brings together clubs with contrasting recent experiences of the competition. Both matches are scheduled to start at 8pm BST, at Portman Road and Anfield respectively.

The evening gives Arsenal another opportunity to pursue a trophy that eluded them in this year's final. Ipswich, meanwhile, have twice beaten the London club in League Cup matches since 2000, including a semi-final first leg on their own ground.

At Anfield, Liverpool have selected Mamardashvili, with Alisson among the substitutes. Tottenham start Dubravka and have Kinsky on the bench. The two squads also contain several attacking alternatives, including Isak for Liverpool and Solanke for Spurs.

These are knockout fixtures rather than league matches. Progress would take the winners into the fourth round; defeat would end their involvement in this season's competition.

The background

Arsenal's latest final ended in defeat by Manchester City earlier in 2026. Nico O'Reilly scored twice for City, adding another unsuccessful final appearance to Arsenal's recent history in the tournament. They have contested four League Cup finals this century without winning any of them.

One of those defeats came against Birmingham City at Wembley after Arsenal had overcome Ipswich in the semi-finals. Obafemi Martins scored Birmingham's winner, denying Arsenal the trophy despite their recovery from a first-leg deficit in the previous round.

That semi-final had begun with a 1-0 Ipswich victory at Portman Road, where Tamas Priskin scored the decisive goal. Arsenal reversed the tie at the Emirates Stadium, winning the return match 3-0 and advancing 3-1 on aggregate. Ipswich's home success therefore did not bring a place in the final.

The clubs' earlier League Cup meeting in November 2000 produced a different outcome. Ipswich won 2-1 at Highbury in the third round, eliminating Arsenal away from home. Tuesday's fixture comes at the same stage but with the venues reversed.

Their league record offers a contrast to those cup results. Across six league meetings in the past 30 years, Ipswich have not beaten Arsenal. The distinction matters when assessing the history: their memorable victories in this pairing belong to the knockout competition, not the league programme.

Liverpool enter Tuesday's match after failing to score against Fulham on Saturday. They have yet to defeat an English opponent at Anfield this season. Tottenham's attacking difficulties extend across four matches against top-flight opposition, with no goals scored in those games.

Recent meetings between Liverpool and Tottenham have often followed a much more eventful pattern. Across the past four seasons, their matches have included scorelines of 5-1, 4-0, 3-6, 4-2 and 4-3. That period has also featured late equalisers, late winners and four red cards.

The team selections

Liverpool's starting side brings together Gakpo, Koumas and Ngumoha, while Mac Allister is also selected. Nyoni and McConnell complete another part of the starting group, giving the Anfield line-up a different set of combinations from those available among the substitutes.

Alongside Mamardashvili, Liverpool have named Frimpong, Gomez, Araujo and Kerkez. Those selections place Gomez and Kerkez in the starting XI rather than among the alternatives available during the match. Liverpool's named squad contains 11 starters and nine substitutes.

The home bench includes Szoboszlai, Gravenberch and Endo, providing further midfield options. Barcola joins Isak among the attacking alternatives, while Jacquet, Munoz and Chambers complete the substitute list alongside Alisson. Naming players on the bench makes them available for a change; it does not mean they will necessarily take part.

Tottenham's starting choices include Tel, Kudus and Marmoush. Gallagher, Bergvall and Bentancur have also been selected, while Maddison begins among the substitutes. Spurs therefore have a further creative option outside the XI chosen to begin the tie.

Tosin and Senesi start for the visitors, as do Gray and Udogie. With Dubravka also selected, those names complete Tottenham's starting team. Robertson and van de Ven are on the bench rather than in the opening line-up at Anfield.

Tottenham's other substitutes are van Hecke, Savio, Fernandes and Davies, alongside Kinsky, Maddison and Solanke. Like Liverpool, they have named nine players in reserve. The benches give both sides scope to alter personnel as the match develops, although the starting selections establish only who begins the contest.

At Portman Road, Ipswich have selected Walton, with Furlong, Kipré, Greaves and Ouattara also starting. Florentino and Núñez are in the XI, together with McAteer, Mehmeti and Philogene. Flemming completes the home side's starting selection against Arsenal.

Ipswich's substitutes include Palmer, Davis, O'Shea and Lukic. Walle Egeli, Enciso, Maeda, Clarke and Akpom are also available from the bench. That gives the home side a separate group of nine alternatives as they attempt to add another League Cup victory to their record against Arsenal.

What people are saying

For Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, the competition occupies a distinct place in his record at the club: it is the domestic trophy he has yet to lift there. His latest attempt begins against opponents whose cup history with Arsenal includes victories at both Highbury and Portman Road.

Liverpool and Tottenham's selections put some prominent names in supporting roles at the outset. Alisson, Isak and Szoboszlai are substitutes for the hosts, while Maddison and Solanke are reserves for the visitors. Their involvement from kick-off is therefore different from that of the players entrusted with starting.

What happens next

The immediate task for all four clubs is to settle their third-round ties. Unlike a league fixture, a knockout match must produce a team that advances, so a level score cannot leave both clubs with a point and their positions unchanged.

Arsenal's journey through this edition begins on Tuesday. Their appearance in the previous final does not carry them forward automatically: reaching the latter stages again requires them to negotiate the rounds of a new competition, starting with Ipswich away.

For supporters following both fixtures, the identical kick-off times mean the matches are scheduled to unfold alongside one another. Events at Anfield do not determine the outcome at Portman Road, however; these are separate ties, each with its own place in the next round at stake.

Why this matters

For UK supporters attending, the venue distinction is practical: Ipswich have home advantage against Arsenal, while Tottenham's followers travel to Liverpool. Both are evening fixtures, making the 8pm BST start the key timing detail for matchgoing plans.

For those following the clubs' season-long prospects, the consequence is immediate rather than a change in league position. A win preserves a route to a domestic trophy; a loss removes that route, whatever results follow in the league.