Arsenal's EFL Cup Challenge: Overcoming Old Scars Against Ipswich Town
Arsenal head to Ipswich Town on Tuesday carrying a perfect record and an old frustration.
Unbeaten in six from six across all competitions, Mikel Arteta’s side have started the 2026-27 campaign with a relentlessness that has quickly become their trademark. They brushed aside Sunderland 2-0 at the weekend in the Premier League, a controlled win overshadowed slightly by an “unacceptable” penalty call that left Arteta fuming but did nothing to derail the result.
Now comes a different kind of test: the EFL Cup, the competition that continues to elude them.
Old scars, new push
Arsenal’s relationship with this trophy is a sore one. Last season’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the final stretched their wait for League Cup glory back to 1993. For a club that has rebuilt its standards under Arteta, that gap jars.
The journey begins again at Portman Road, where Ipswich have already found their feet in the tournament with a 3-1 win over Leicester City in the second round. Arsenal arrive as favourites, but not untouched.
White worry after Sunderland
Ben White has been ever-present this season, a constant on the team sheet and a key part of Arsenal’s defensive stability. That is why the sight of him clutching his groin and failing to emerge for the second half against Sunderland will have set alarm bells ringing.
Arteta did not offer a concrete update after the match, yet the defender is now a major doubt for the trip to Ipswich with a groin issue. His possible return date is being tentatively marked as Tuesday night, but Arsenal will not take risks lightly at this stage of the season.
The one piece of good news in that area comes from Jurrien Timber. The Dutchman, himself just back from a groin problem, came through the second half at the Stadium of Light without trouble. If White sits this one out, Timber’s recovery suddenly becomes crucial.
Mosquera edging closer
Cristhian Mosquera has been missing for Arsenal’s last three games in all competitions after suffering a hamstring strain against Aston Villa. The Spaniard has been sidelined since, but the mood around his recovery is brighter.
Arteta has said Mosquera is doing “really well” in his rehabilitation, and the defender has not been ruled out of the third-round tie. Officially, he is listed as a major doubt with a possible return date of September 15, the night of the Ipswich clash. Arsenal may yet decide the risk is worth it as the fixtures pile up.
Saliba’s long road back
One situation is far clearer. William Saliba will not be involved.
The French centre-back remains Arsenal’s only confirmed long-term absentee. His back problem, which flared up during the World Cup, has consigned him to another lengthy spell out, with his return pencilled in for around November 21, when Arsenal face Newcastle United.
Arteta has had to reshape his defence around that absence. Every minor knock elsewhere now feels a little heavier.
No bans, but big decisions
Arsenal travel with a clean disciplinary slate. No suspensions cloud Arteta’s selection for Ipswich, leaving the manager free to rotate, protect, or push his regulars as he sees fit.
The form is flawless. The injuries are manageable, for now. The EFL Cup has hurt them before.
This time, do Arsenal finally turn dominance into a trophy that has been missing for more than three decades?
