Port Vale vs Arsenal: Kick-off time, how to watch, stats, team news

9 hours ago 1

ESPN

Sep 23, 2025, 12:57 PM

Arsenal begin their Carabao Cup campaign with a trip to Port Vale on Wednesday night on the back of a Premier League draw against Manchester City last weekend. Gabriel Martinelli scored an injury-time equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw as Mikel Arteta became the first manager ever to go five consecutive games unbeaten against Pep Guardiola.

Arsenal boast a much improved strength-in-depth this season, and manager Mikel Arteta will be glad for it after a slew of early season injuries.

Bukayo Saka made a welcome return against City, but the in-form winger Noni Madueke picked up an injury in the same game and is facing a two-month spell on the sidelines. Martin Ødegaard and Piero Hincapié remain injury doubts for this game, with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz also unavailable. With a testing trip to Newcastle in store over the weekend, Arteta is likely to ring in the changes with 15-year-old Max Dowman and other youngsters set to feature.

Port Vale, newly promoted to League One, failed to win any of their first seven games, but have won their last two games. Cup wins over fellow League One stugglers Blackpool and Championship side Birmingham City provided coach Darren Moore with some respite, and they'll hope to keep their streak of upsets going against Arsenal. Devante Cole, son of former Manchester United striker Andy Cole, has been instrumental in Port Vale's recent wins, with four goal involvements (three goals, one assists) in three appearances so far since joining the club on deadline day this summer.

The two teams have faced each other only in the FA Cup in modern times, with most games occuring before 1927. In the 1998 FA Cup, Arsenal were held to a goalless draw at Highbury in the third round, before winning 4-3 on penalties in the replay at Vale Park, which saw Dennis Bergkamp and Wayne Corden score for either side.

Here is everything you need to know ahead Wednesday's cup clash.

How to watch:

The match will be available on Sky Sports in the UK, Paramount+ in the U.S., FanCode in India, beIN Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.

Key Details:

Date: Wednesday, September 24 at 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET; 12.30 a.m. IST, Thursday and 5 a.m. AEST, Thursday

Venue: Vale Park, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent

Referee: Andrew Kitchen

VAR: Not in operation

Team News:

Port Vale

Liam Gordon, D: DOUBT
Mitchell Clark, D: DOUBT
Kyle John, D: muscle, OUT, est. return early-Oct

Arsenal

Kai Havertz, F: knee, OUT, est. return mid Oct
Gabriel Jesus, F: ACL, OUT, est. return late Dec
Martin Ødegaard, M: shoulder, DOUBT
Noni Madueke, F: knee, OUT, est. return late Nov
Piero Hincapié, D: knock, DOUBT

Expected Lineups:

Port Vale (3-5-2)

Arsenal (4-3-3)

Stats:

Arsenal conceded their first open-play goal of the season against Manchester City.
Arsenal have conceded just 3.65 xG in six games this season in all competitions, the best record of any Premier League team this season.
Arsenal last won the League Cup in 1993, having won the competition only twice in their history.
The last time Port Vale defeated Arsenal at home (1901), they were still a South London club bearing the Woolwich prefix.

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