League Cup,
Round of 16
Fleetwood Town
FLE
27/10/2026
20:00
arsenal
ARS
-
place
- Highbury Stadium
Where to watch Fleetwood v Arsenal: TV channel, live streaming online
Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00 GMT (16:00 ET / 13:00 PT), with live UK coverage on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra.
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Fleetwood Town v Arsenal EFL Cup Preview
It’s the biggest night Fleetwood’s the story as they seek to bring out a great displeasure against it arsenal in the EFL Cup.
League Two strugglers: They are seventh from bottom in England’s fourth tier – will look to unseat the reigning English champions and joint Premier League leaders.
It’s the latest David vs. Goliath showdown with the cod army 84 places below the Gunners in the pyramid.
Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor, who were beaten 2-1 at Exeter on Saturday and have lost five of their last seven league games, is relishing the challenge of facing Mikel Arteta’s side at Highbury Stadium.
He said: “The champions are coming to town and they’re coming to our patch. Players need to be excited, not scared. Respect is through the roof, but fear can’t be through the roof.”
“We earned a game like this. We had to go through round after round of tough games, and none of them were easy. To get where we are, we deserve it.”
Fleetwood have reached the last 16 courtesy of wins over Chesterfield, Shrewsbury and Championship side Sheffield United.
And Lawlor will be hoping to replicate the performance they put in against the Blades on Tuesday night.
“I thought the performance that day was excellent,” he said. “So far this year we have done very well in the cups, and we have to repeat it tomorrow.
“I want us to have that feeling of togetherness, the crowd, the players and the club. That’s the kind of feeling I want to build here.”
Arsenal go into the match in good form. They beat Everton 2-0 at the Emirates on Saturday and are unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions. They reached the fourth round with a 4–2 win over Ipswich Town in the third round, a game in which Max Dowman scored twice and was named Player of the Round.
Dowman is likely to be involved again with Arteta who will change his squad a lot given their demands in the Premier League and Champions League.
Arsenal lost the final of this competition last season and have not won it since 1993.
Fleetwood v Arsenal team news
Fleetwood midfielder Andy Cannon is available for selection but is likely to be on the bench. Finley Potter is also fit despite suffering a nasty gash over his eye.
Kane Thompson-Summers and Will Johnson remain on the sidelines. Striker Lewis McCann is suspended after being booked twice in this season’s competition.
Arteta is ready to make wholesale changes. Kepa Arrizabalaga is expected to start in goal, with Piero Hincapie returning from an ankle injury and young defender Josh Salmon likely to get a chance at centre-back.
Max Dowman, Andre Harriman-Annous and Eberechi Eze are expected to lead the attack. Arsenal are still without William Saliba, Christos Tzolis and Bukayo Saka.
Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal Carabao Cup predicted line-up
Fleetwood: Lynch; Rooney, Haughey, Potter; Neal, Loupalo-Bi, McLean, Helm, Batty; Evans, Coughlan
Arsenal: Kepa; Wood, Salmon, Mosquito, Hincapié; Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly, Merino; Dowman, Harriman-Annous, Eze
Fleetwood v Arsenal stats, recent form
- Fleetwood have reached the fourth round for the first time as part of their 15th EFL Cup campaign, with their previous best runs ending in the third round in 2022/23 and 2020/21.
- Town’s last two exits from the competition have come on penalties, losing 7-6 at Barnsley after a 2-2 first-round draw last season and 3-2 at Stoke City after their third-round tie ended 1-1 in 2024/25.
- Since losing 1-0 to Everton in the second round in August 2022, Fleetwood have won five consecutive EFL Cup home ties.
- After meetings with West Bromwich Albion and Rotherham United in 2023/24, both of which ended 2-1, they have kept clean sheets in all three EFL Cup ties at Highbury Stadium this season, beating Chesterfield and Sheffield United 1-0 either side of a 4-0 win against Shrewsbury Town.
- A 2-1 defeat at Rochdale in League Two on 26 September is Fleetwood’s only defeat in their last 12 home games in all competitions (W6 D5)
- Arsenal have won nine of their last 12 EFL Cup games, losing last season’s final against Manchester City and suffering two defeats against Newcastle in the 2024/25 semi-finals.
- Defeat to City extended their 33-year wait to lift the trophy for a third time, having triumphed in 1987 and 1993.
- Five of Arsenal’s last six defeats have come away from the Emirates Stadium, including a defeat against a side from a lower division than Championship club Southampton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on April 4.
Prediction Fleetwood Town – Arsenal
Fleetwood have had a fantastic run and this game will provide much needed publicity and money for the club. But they will obviously struggle to match Arsenal’s power. Although Arteta will make wholesale changes, the depth of Arsenal’s squad means the visitors will be strolling.
Fleetwood Town
0-4
arsenal
