The third round of the Carabao Cup continues on Wednesday as Port Vale host Arsenal.
The Gunners are -1100 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook for this one, with a draw available at +800. Fancy a Port Vale upset? The League One side are +1700 on the moneyline. The game is slated to kick off at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Port Vale vs. Arsenal Prediction, Pick
One of the best teams in England will travel to Port Vale on Wednesday for the third round of the Carabao Cup. Port Vale are currently 19th in League One, the third division in English football. Arsenal, on the other hand, are in second place in the Premier League. Those stats tell the story for this one, as this is a true David vs. Goliath matchup.
The Gunners have arguably the best squad in club soccer right now, and have two quality players at every single position. I expect them to rotate heavily as they give some key players rest after Sunday’s draw with Man City and before their upcoming trip to Newcastle this weekend. Even if the Gunners change the entire starting 11, they have way too much quality for Port Vale.
The League One side have only won two of their nine league games so far this season, and they are about to face a serious step up in opposition.
Arsenal’s B team would likely still compete towards the top of the Premier League, and I expect them to do some damage on Wednesday. The likes of Ethan Nwaneri, Max Dowman, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli should be involved from the start as they were all left out of the starting XI on Sunday.
The Gunners played two lower division opponents in this competition last season, beating another League One side, Bolton, 5-1 in the third round, and Championship side Preston 3-0 in the fourth round. You could argue that Arsenal have strengthened their squad depth since then, making the task even tougher for Port Vale. There is simply just too big of a gap between the top of the Premier League and the lower divisions.
The game is away from home, which makes things a little tricky, but it’s still too tall of a task for Port Vale. Expect Arsenal to cruise to the next round and score a bunch of goals in the process.
