Football Preview | Port Vale v Arsenal

Arsenal’s Carabao Cup campaign begins in the third round away at Port Vale

They’ll be looking to go a step further than last season’s outing in the competition, where they reached the semi-finals, only to lose to eventual winners Newcastle United.

Author | DJ

Stadium | Vale Park

Port Vale v Stevenage 

Arteta’s side visit a Vale side who sit 19th in League One with eight points from their opening nine matches, most recently beating Mansfield Town 2-1 at home.

How seriously are The Gunners taking this competition?

They are obviously the favourites to win the game at Vale Park, but Mikel Arteta and his players will know that they cannot be complacent.

However, the Arsenal boss is expected to rotate his side significantly, and there is a strong chance that neither Saliba nor Saka will start the game.

Going forward in the competition, they will see an opportunity to win their first major trophy since 2020, but there’s a long way to go before Arsenal fans can start dreaming of a trip down Wembley Way.

Arsenal team news

Noni Madueke will be unavailable for the clash with Port Vale after sustaining a knee injury in their 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

Summer signing Piero Hincapie will also miss the fixture with a groin problem. He joins Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus among the confirmed absentees for the trip to the Potteries.

Arsenal v Manchester City

The history between the two sides

Arsenal will face Port Vale for the first time since the 1997/98 season, when the two clubs met in the FA Cup third round.

At the time, a second-tier side, Arsenal drew 0-0 at Highbury, forcing a replay at Vale Park. It was not until extra time that Dennis Bergkamp’s remarkable strike finally put the visitors ahead, only for Wayne Corden to equalise two minutes later and send the match to penalties.

Lee Dixon missed Arsenal’s first spot-kick, placing the team on the brink of elimination, but David Seaman saved Ian Bogie’s effort and Allen Tankard fired over, allowing Arsenal to progress to the fourth round. Wenger’s side would go on to win that tournament and secure a famous double.