Ipswich Town welcome Arsenal to Portman Road in the Carabao Cup. Both teams arrive with victories behind them, but Arsenal have made the stronger start and travel to Ipswich after winning five consecutive matches in all competitions.

Ipswich have produced mixed results

Ipswich are tenth in the Premier League after collecting six points from their opening four matches. They have already shown that they can cause problems at Portman Road, beating Sunderland 2–1 and Leicester 3–1.

Their last five matches have produced three victories and two defeats. The wins against Sunderland, Leicester and Crystal Palace showed that Ipswich carry a real attacking threat, but the defeats exposed the difference when they face stronger opposition.

Manchester United scored five against them, while Liverpool left Portman Road with a 2–0 victory. Ipswich have scored seven and conceded ten in their opening four league matches, suggesting that their games can become open when the opposition increases the tempo.

They average 1.74 goals at home, so Arsenal cannot expect an easy evening. However, Ipswich will need to defend considerably better than they did against Manchester United and Liverpool.

Arsenal have won five in a row

Arsenal arrive at Portman Road in excellent form. They sit top of the Premier League after winning all four of their opening matches, scoring eight goals and conceding only once.

Their winning run also includes a Champions League victory away against Napoli. Across their last five matches, Arsenal have beaten Coventry, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Napoli and Sunderland.

Four of those five victories came without conceding. The only team to score against Arsenal during that run was Chelsea, who lost 2–1 at the Emirates.

Arsenal may rotate some players for the Carabao Cup, but their squad should still contain enough quality to control the match. Several players who are not guaranteed a place in the strongest starting eleven will also have an opportunity to impress.

Arsenal have dominated at Portman Road

The previous meetings also favour the visitors. Arsenal have won four of their last six matches away against Ipswich, with the hosts recording only one victory.

Across those six games, Arsenal lead 14–3 on aggregate. They also won both Premier League meetings in the 2024/25 season, following a 1–0 home victory with a convincing 4–0 win at Portman Road.

Matches between these teams produce only 2.2 goals on average, but Arsenal have been responsible for most of them. The visitors average 1.88 goals away from home, while Ipswich score 1.74 per home match.

Verdict

Ipswich have won three of their last five matches and deserve respect, particularly at Portman Road. Their defeats against Manchester United and Liverpool still raise questions about how they will handle another of the strongest teams in the country.

Arsenal have won five consecutive matches, kept four clean sheets and started the league season with maximum points. Their record at Portman Road is also strong, including the 4–0 victory on their previous visit.

A normal Arsenal victory offers little value. The handicap requires the visitors to win by at least two goals, but recent results show that they are capable of doing exactly that.

Tip

Arsenal -1 handicap (3-way)