In the fourth round of the Carabao Cup tournament, fourth-division Fleetwood Town hosts the English Premier League giants Arsenal. The match is scheduled for October 27, 2026 at 22:00 Bulgarian time. The main referee of the match is Michael Salisbury.
Fleetwood Town reaches the fourth round of the tournament for the first time in its history, without conceding a single goal in the competition so far. In the first round they beat Chesterfield 1-0, followed by a convincing 4-0 victory over Shrewsbury in the second round, and in the third round they pulled off a big upset, eliminating elite Sheffield United 1-0.
Despite a strong performance in the cup, the team's form in League 2 has declined. In their last two league matches, Fleetwood suffered defeats at Exeter 1-2 and Cheltenham Town 2-4, before winning at Rotherham 2-0 and drawing 1-1 with Walsall. In the FA Cup, the team beat Barnsley 4-1.
Arsenal began their participation in the Carabao Cup in the third round, where they defeated Ipswich 4-2 away. Mikel Arteta's men are on an excellent run of four wins and one draw in their last five matches in all competitions.
In their last Premier League match, the "Gunners" beat Everton 2-0, and before that they drew 2-2 at Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The team also achieved victories against Nottingham Forest 1-0, Lille 3-0 and Leeds 2-1, showing high stability in their performances.
The guests from London enter the match as absolute favorites to advance, but the conditions surrounding the match could prove to be a serious challenge. A yellow code for strong winds and heavy rainfall in the Lancashire region has put the match in doubt due to dangerous weather conditions along the coast.
This is the first official competitive match between Fleetwood Town and Arsenal in history. A curious fact about the match is the name of the facility where the match will be played. The hosts welcome their opponent at their stadium "Highbury", which carries special symbolism for Arsenal fans due to the coincidence with the name of their legendary former home in London.
For the hosts from Fleetwood, midfielder Lewis McCann is suspended for yellow cards accumulated in the tournament. Kane Thompson-Summers and Andy Cannon remain out of action due to injuries. The good news for coach Matt Lawler is the return of defender Rhys Bennett, who served his suspension.
Arsenal's squad continues to be without Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Christos Tsolis. Ricardo Calafiori is also out after suffering a minor injury in the match against Everton. Mikel Arteta is expected to make serious rotations in the squad in view of the upcoming derby against Liverpool, giving a chance to younger players such as Max Dowman and Marley Salmon, as well as goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.