Ipswich Town hosts Arsenal in League Cup, looking to spring an upset

Portman Road is gearing up for a special night. This Tuesday, September 15, Ipswich Town hosts Arsenal in the third round of the 2026/2027 English League Cup, and while the favorite looks clear on paper, the home side arrives with enough to make life difficult for the Premier League leader.

Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. (Argentina, Uruguay and Chile time) and 2:00 p.m. (Ecuador, Colombia and Peru time). For those looking to watch live from South America, the broadcast will be available through the Disney+ Premium Plan.

A matchup with plenty on the line

Arsenal isn't just fighting to advance, it also wants to confirm it's in strong form. The London club comes in on a run of four straight wins and currently sits atop the Premier League table. The League Cup is, in theory, a secondary competition on the big clubs' agenda, but nobody at Arsenal wants to get knocked out by a newly promoted side.

And that's the other side of the coin here. Ipswich Town returned to the top flight this season and didn't stumble into this fixture by accident: it has a balanced squad, solid on the ball at the back and with South American talent in midfield, the kind of thing that can trouble any opponent, no matter how big a favorite.

The names who could make the difference

Kjell Scherpen will be in goal for Ipswich, while the center-back pairing falls to Jacob Greaves and Issa Diop. In midfield there's a key piece: Argentine Exequiel Palacios, tasked with providing balance and clean buildup play. Up front, the attacking responsibility rests on Paraguayan Julio Enciso and Brazilian Emersonn, two players who can unbalance defenses in tight spaces.

On Arsenal's side, Kepa Arrizabalaga is expected to get minutes between the posts, with Ezri Konsa and Ecuadorian Piero Hincapie as center-backs. In midfield, the partnership would be made up of Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino, while the attack would be left in the hands of Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze, two players who have been delivering goals and assists at the start of the season.

How both teams arrive

Both sides arrive on the back of a road win. Ipswich Town beat Crystal Palace 3-2 in their last outing, a result that gave the club confidence away from Portman Road. Arsenal, for its part, handled its trip to Sunderland comfortably, winning 2-0.

The recent head-to-head clearly favors the Londoners. The last meeting dates back to the 2024/2025 Premier League, on April 20, 2025, when Arsenal thrashed Ipswich Town 4-0 with two goals from Leandro Trossard and one each from Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri. That result stuck in the memory of the Suffolk club, and this Tuesday offers a good chance to start rewriting that history.

Will Ipswich's strong attacking form be enough to pull off the upset? The League Cup always brings these kinds of appealing matchups, and Portman Road expects a close game, at least in the opening minutes.