Arsenal discover Carabao Cup third round opponents

Arsenal have discovered who they will face in the third round of the Carabao Cup and have been handed a trip to League One side Port Vale.

The Gunners enter the tournament at this stage along with eight other Premier League sides due to their participation in European competition this season.

With this matchup starting the route to possible silverware, Mikel Arteta will be looking ahead to the tie as he hopes to secure just his second major trophy as Arsenal manager and a first since 2020.

Arsenal discover Carabao Cup third round opponents

The draw was made on Wednesday evening following Manchester United's shock penalty defeat to League Two side Grimsby Town. The Mariners had led 2-0, but United pulled themselves level late on, only to lose on spot kicks.

With two separate draws being made due to the high number of clubs participating in Europe, Arsenal were the first Premier League side to be pulled out as they were dealt a trip to Port Vale. Their opponents reached this stage following 1-0 away victories over Blackpool and Birmingham City.

The Gunners will be considered the strong favourites to win the tie considering their superiority over the Valiants. However, as Grimsby showed against one of Arsenal's mightiest rivals, no side can be taken for granted in this tournament.

The two sides have met just a handful of times over the years, playing out 22 encounters since first going head to head over 130 years ago in 1893, back when Arteta's side were named Woolwich Arsenal.

Their most recent meeting came during the Gunners' double winning 1997/98 season. In Arsene Wenger's first full campaign as Arsenal manager, his side kickstarted their run to FA Cup glory with a third round victory over Vale. A 0-0 stalemate at Highbury was followed up with a 1-1 draw at Hale Park, with the north Londoners triumphing on penalties.

Arsenal have made it past the third round of the tournament in all but one season over the past 10 campaigns. Their sole exit at this stage came at the hands of Brighton during the 2022/23 edition.

Despite their consistency at this point of the competition, the Gunners have often disregarded the Carabao Cup as a route to silverware, but that must change this season. With a squad full of quality depth, they can afford to field a stronger team throughout the cup as they look to take home the trophy for the first time since 1993. Any cup run will begin with this matchup at Port Vale.

The tie will be played during either the week commencing 15 or 22 September with a kick-off date and time yet to be finalised.

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