🕟 Kick Off: 20:00 BST

🏟️ Venue: Vale Park

📺 UK Broadcaster: Sky Sports

🙎🏻‍♂️ Referee: Andrew Kitchen

📹 VAR: Not in use

🔴 Arsenal Team News:

• Gabriel Jesus: Knee injury (Major surgery), ruled out
• Kai Havertz: Knee injury (Post-surgery), ruled out
• Martin Ødegaard: Shoulder injury, doubtful
• Chukwunonso Madueke: Knee injury, ruled out

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟧🟩🟩🟥🟩

⚪Port Vale Team News:

• Liam Gordon: Injured, ruled out
• Mitch Clark: Injured, ruled out
• Kyle John: Injured: ruled out

⚽ Port Vale Form: 🟩🟩🟥🟩🟥

⚔️ Head-to-Head:

• Port Vale 1-1 Arsenal (14 January 1998, FA Cup)
• Arsenal 0-0 Port Vale (3 January 1998, FA Cup)
• Arsenal 1-0 Port Vale (2 February 1927, FA Cup)
• Port Vale 2-2 Arsenal (29 January 1927, FA Cup)
• Woolwich Arsenal 0-0 Port Vale (25 April 1904, League Division Two)

📖 Match Facts:

• Port Vale haven’t beaten Arsenal since 1901 when Arsenal were Woolwich Arsenal.
• Port Vale currently sit 19th in League 1 with 8 points in 9 games. 6 of these points were won in their previous 2 fixtures.
• This game will be played without VAR. VAR is only used in the EFL Cup if all remaining stadiums have VAR capabilities.
• In the result of a draw after 90 minutes, the match will be decided on penalties; extra time is not played.

✍🏼 Pre-Match Ramblings

Arsenal begin their EFL cup campaign tomorrow in a favourable draw against League 1 strugglers Port Vale. We have historically not been a team that has done well in this competition, with our recent results being a handful of early knock-outs, a few semi-final appearances, and our last final appearance being in 2018 where we lost to Man City. We haven’t won the competition since 1993.

Expect a rotated side as Arsenal prepare to go even further north to Newcastle at the weekend. Having to go to Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle in the same week is a fate I wouldn’t wish on anyone, although some would say that Stoke-on-Trent is a vibrant mix of the great and good (a cookie if you get this reference).

I’m hopeful to see starts for Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, a pair who haven’t seen much gametime so far this season after big new contracts in the summer and massively impressive development last season. Max Dowman could also see a start, although school has recently started and he is sitting his GCSE this academic year, so who knows what the plan is for him.

Port Vale play a back three with a midfield five and two up front: a pairing that includes Devante Cole, who is their top scorer so far this season with 3 goals (the same number as Gyokeres), who will be one to watch against what I assume will be a rotated defense.