Fleetwood vs Arsenal is the EFL Cup fourth-round tie that takes the Gunners to Fleetwood’s Highbury Stadium, 20 years after they left their iconic home, and Mikel Arteta is expected to rotate heavily on Tuesday evening.
The Premier League champions travel to League Two Fleetwood Town, who have already knocked out Chesterfield, Shrewsbury Town and Sheffield United without conceding a goal in this season’s competition, according to Sports Mole’s preview.
Arsenal have 14 FA Cup triumphs but have not lifted the League Cup since Paul Merson and Steve Morrow beat Sheffield Wednesday in 1993. Four runners-up finishes since then came against Manchester City (twice), Chelsea and Birmingham City.
Fleetwood vs Arsenal: how the Gunners got here
The 2025-26 silver medallists made light work of Ipswich Town in round three, winning 4-2 after leading 4-0 by the hour mark. A double from the player named best of the round did much of the damage before Ipswich made the scoreline more respectable in the final 30 minutes.
The fourth round has not always been kind to Arsenal. They have fallen at this stage three times since the 2015-16 season, to Sheffield Wednesday that year, Liverpool in 2019-20 and West Ham United in 2023-24.
Still, Arteta’s men have come back from the international break unbeaten in all five October games, and won their fourth of that run by beating Everton 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday. Ezri Konsa’s early opener snapped a 13-game sequence without a set-piece goal and took the champions level on points with Manchester City at the top of the table, so the Gooners can keep dreaming of the quadruple.
Fleetwood vs Arsenal: how the Cods got here
Fleetwood had never gone beyond the third round before this season. Matt Lawlor’s side edged Chesterfield 1-0, beat Shrewsbury 4-0 and then shocked Sheffield United 1-0, a Rhys Norrington-Davies own goal enough to take down the Blades.
That win extended their unbeaten start to the season to nine games, but form has dipped since, with defeat in six of their last matches in all competitions. A 2-1 loss to Exeter City on Saturday left them 18th in League Two. They have lost just one of their 10 home games in all tournaments this term.
Fleetwood vs Arsenal team news
Arsenal team news
Arsenal’s win over Everton was not perfect. Riccardo Calafiori went straight down the tunnel at full time with an unspecified injury, although Arteta believes it is minor. Calafiori will surely miss the trip alongside Bukayo Saka (quad) and William Saliba (back). Christos Tzolis (hamstring) is close to a return but could be spared for the weekend trip to Liverpool.
Having played just 19 Premier League minutes this season, third-round hero Max Dowman is expected to be among multiple changes, potentially alongside Marli Salmon and Andre Harriman-Annous. Arteta has already said the youngster probably deserves more minutes.
Fleetwood team news
Midfielder Lewis McCann serves a one-game ban after a second yellow card of the tournament against Sheffield United, and the 25-year-old is “absolutely gutted” to miss out. He joins long-term absentee Kane Thompson-Sommers on the sidelines, while former Wrexham midfielder Andy Cannon has been missing since late August. Defensive stalwart Rhys Bennett is back from suspension.
Ched Evans captained Fleetwood to victory over his former club in round three and should lead the Fishermen out again. The 37-year-old has three goals from three EFL Cup appearances in 2026-27.
Fleetwood vs Arsenal predicted lineups
Fleetwood predicted lineup: Lynch; Rooney, Bennett, Potter; Cirino, McLean, Neal, Helm, Andrew; Coughlan, Evans
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Fleetwood: Kepa; Timber, Salmon, Mosquera, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly; Dowman, Merino, Eze; Harriman-Annous
There is plenty of youth and fringe talent in that Arsenal group, with Martin Zubimendi among the few established names. Official club news is on arsenal.com.
Fleetwood vs Arsenal prediction
Highbury has been largely a safe haven for Fleetwood this season, and Arsenal will not be fielding a full-strength team by any stretch. Even so, Arteta’s blend of second-string players and youthful prospects should still carry the Premier League champions into the quarter-finals with ease.
Prediction: an Arsenal win and a place in the quarter-finals.
