Arsenal should unleash Max Dowman, Liverpool and Chelsea clash in battle of the Basques and Man City continue defence – Carabao Cup talking points | Football News

It’s time to unleash Dowman

Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal – Tuesday, kick-off at 8pm live on Sky Sports Football

It’s time for Mikel Arteta to unleash Max Dowman regularly for Arsenal.

The talented 16-year-old is hardly the new kid on the block anymore. In the last round of the Carabao Cup, Dowman dazzled against Ipswich Town with a man-of-the-match display and is expected to be the creative fulcrum of the Arsenal attack again against Fleetwood Town.

But having largely been held back by Arteta this season, here comes the teenager’s first real chance since his breakthrough to become an Arsenal regular.

The point where Arteta releases the shackles off Dowman and puts him in as one of his key stars is an important moment not just for Arsenal, but for English football as well. This is a diamond player, a rare gem that eventually needs to shine.

With all the Ballon d’Or talk this week, it is worth remembering that Lamine Yamal was unleashed by both Barcelona and Spain without hesitation. Does Dowman need that same treatment?

Bukayo Saka’s injury has opened the door now for Dowman to play week in, week out for Arsenal. But not just as a rotational option, Dowman could really challenge Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze for a starting spot, given the pair are yet to show the consistency required since joining Arsenal.

Is this the period where Dowman’s career accelerates?
Sam Blitz

Tuesday 27th October 7:30pm


Kick off 8:00pm

Savage’s Posh revival faces stern Bradford test

Bradford City vs Peterborough United – Tuesday, kick-off 7.45pm live on Sky Sports+

Robbie Savage is slowly turning Peterborough United around, and now has the chance to make some history.

The former Wales and Leicester City midfielder left National League club Forest Green Rovers in early October to join the struggling League One side, and has taken five points from his first four games in charge.

He promised attacking football, and Posh have scored seven goals since.

To reach the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup for the first time since 1992, they must unlock a watertight Bradford City defence that has conceded just five times in 12 league games.

Under new boss Michael Duff, who took over from Graham Alexander just four days after Savage was appointed, Bradford haven’t conceded a goal in four matches, but three have ended 0-0. They have netted just 10 times in League One this season, yet sit third.

Bradford, finalists in 2013, are attempting to boost the attendance by offering tickets for just £5, setting the stage for a bumper crowd as they look to keep their own cup hopes alive.
David Richardson

In the battle of the Basques, how strong will Iraola and Alonso go?

Liverpool vs Chelsea – Wednesday, kick-off 8pm live on Sky Sports Main Event

It will be intriguing to see just how strong Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso go with their lineups at Anfield on Wednesday night, with both Basques facing huge Premier League games on the weekend, albeit for different reasons.

Liverpool are currently in the middle of a run of four home games in a row and will head into the Chelsea clash bouncing after three straight wins, so will the Reds head coach look to prioritise the visit of champions Arsenal to Anfield on Super Sunday, or would another victory help maintain the feelgood factor around the club right now?

Either way, one player certain to start the tie against the club he began his career at is young Reds forward Rio Ngumoha, who shone against Villarreal in the Champions League last week, before playing the final 13 minutes of Sunday’s 2-0 win against Brighton.

As for the visitors, Alonso will be looking for a reaction from his players after Saturday’s “awful” 2-0 loss to Tottenham, as Gary Neville described their display at the Bridge. But, again, where will the Chelsea manager’s priorities lie with hugely important league games against Man Utd, Sunderland and Leeds on the horizon?

Alonso, who will be without the suspended Cole Palmer after his sending off against Spurs, will surely want to freshen things up at Anfield, but as Paul Merson told Sky Sports: “If they get beat by Liverpool and Man Utd this week, then Chelsea are in big trouble. You’d be seriously thinking they’d be lucky to get Champions League this season. And that can’t happen. Whatever happens, that can’t happen.”
Rich Morgan

Wednesday 28th October 7:00pm


Kick off 8:00pm

Man City-Brighton double-header presents big chance for Hurzeler

Man City vs Brighton – Wednesday, kick-off 7.30pm live on Sky Sports+

Manchester City and Brighton meet twice this week, once in the cup and once in the league. It’s a chance for Fabian Hurzeler to prove that Brighton can consistently mix it with the best teams in the division after faltering at Liverpool at the weekend.

For all the club’s progress, and the never-ending stream of compliments about Hurzeler’s progressive style of play, he is missing the tangible evidence to cement Brighton as the Premier League’s great disruptors. The EFL Cup presents the perfect opportunity to do that.

Brighton are unbeaten in four games against Man City (W2, D2) – their best ever run against such usually-dominant opposition. Hurzeler’s brand of high-intensity football is exactly the style City tend to find most unsettling, so the visitors should arrive to the Etihad full of confidence.

They’re perfectly capable of causing an upset to dispatch of the holders.
Laura Hunter

Europe has helped, not hindered – but can Villa and Bournemouth also balance cup run?

Bournemouth vs Aston Villa – Wednesday, kick-off 7.45pm live on Sky Sports+

Europe is usually viewed as a hindrance to domestic form, but it has been a positive thus far for Aston Villa and Bournemouth.

Both teams started slowly this season. Villa had not scored a goal in the Premier League until the 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on September 12, while their first league win came a week later at Tottenham.

Unai Emery’s men kicked into gear with a 3-2 win against Club Brugge earlier in September and have now gone seven games unbeaten across all competitions since beating Coventry City in the last round of the Carabao Cup.

Bournemouth are a similar story. It was a slow start under Marco Rose, but their performances in the Europa League have ignited the new era.

They had to wait until October 18 for a first win in the top flight but they now come into this game against Villa full of confidence after beating AC Milan and Manchester United across a four-game winning streak.

After starting slowly, the two teams are beginning to flex their muscles and are showcasing why they are regarded as two of the best run clubs in the division. However, how they balance this Carabao Cup tie will be the ultimate test for their squad depth.

Can they juggle European football, the priority that is the Premier League and a cup run? We’ll find out on Wednesday.
Patrick Rowe

Fulham finding form as Palace and Sage face Carabao Cup reckoning

Fulham vs Crystal Palace – Wednesday, kick-off 7.45pm live on Sky Sports+

When Fulham and Crystal Palace first met in early September, both managers were under pressure after losing their opening two Premier League games. Ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup meeting, however, the balance of power has shifted dramatically.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham have found momentum at precisely the right time, winning back-to-back league games against Hull and Coventry.

Oscar Bobb’s late winner at the CBS Arena was another sign of a side growing in resilience, while consecutive clean sheets suggest they are beginning to find the defensive stability that eluded them earlier in the season.

The crisis has not disappeared, but Arbeloa has bought himself breathing room via ‘Arbeloa-ball’.

Pierre Sage, meanwhile, is facing an altogether different reckoning at Palace.

Consecutive defeats to Brighton and Newcastle, conceding seven goals without reply, have exposed a team desperately short of defensive organisation and confidence.

Palace have shipped 19 league goals, the division’s worst record, and Sage’s insistence that the problems are not tactical will do little to silence the growing discontent among supporters.

Wednesday offers Fulham a chance to deepen Palace’s crisis. For Sage, it risks becoming another step towards the exit.
William Bitibiri

Can the Bees make it three in a row?

Sunderland vs Brentford – Wednesday, kick-off 7.45pm live on Sky Sports+

Given their contrasting form this season, Brentford will be confident heading to the Stadium of Light this week. Not only that, they also have a decent pedigree in recent Carabao Cup campaigns.

They have reached the quarter-finals in three of the last five seasons, including the last two – and were knocked out by the eventual winners in 2024/25 (Newcastle) and 2025/26 (Man City). Finalists Chelsea knocked them out in their other quarter-final appearance in 2021/22.

Of course, Keith Andrews will be hoping to go one better this season – but they have Sunderland to beat first.

The Black Cats have been eliminated in six of their last eight League Cup fourth round ties – the most recent in 2021/22 – and are struggling to find the magic touch they had last season.

But form doesn’t always translate onto the pitch and knockout football is a different beast altogether. At home, Sunderland will feel they are a match for anyone – and will not want to get stung again on Wednesday.
Charlotte Marsh

Can Toffees or Magpies lay down a marker before PL rematch?

Everton vs Newcastle – Thursday, kick-off 7.45pm live on Sky Sports+

The Carabao Cup often gives teams a chance to rotate their squad in order to remain fresh for the upcoming Premier League games. That is less likely to be the case here. Instead, it could act as a preview of their league meeting on Monday night.

Everton’s paper-thin squad has already been rocked by the illness of Jack Grealish and the concussion of Jarrad Branthwaite. Whether he likes it or not, David Moyes will have to go to the well with the exact same group and just pray for no more knocks.

Newcastle’s options have also been rather depleted, but they do have the advantage when it comes to strength in depth, aided greatly by the return of Anthony Elanga during the league win over Crystal Palace.

The thirst for silverware on Tyneside may encourage Matthias Jaissle to put out a relatively strong team as the Magpies look to regain the title they won two years’ ago under Eddie Howe.

If these two do line up strongly, then perhaps as important as progression in the cup is the opportunity to lay down a marker before they meet again on Merseyside a mere 96 hours later.
Callum Bishop