Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal Prediction: Betting Tips & Odds

Arsenal are back at Highbury on Wednesday morning NZT, but it’s Highbury Stadium in Fleetwood this time, with Fleetwood Town hosting the Premier League champions in the League Cup fourth round.

The two clubs have never met. Fleetwood are a League Two side who’ve never got this far in the competition before, while Arsenal are level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

Kickoff is 9am on Wednesday 28 October, and a match-winner price of $1.08 isn’t much use to anyone. So in this Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal preview I’ve gone after a goals line on Arsenal alone, and it pays more than double your stake.

It’s down the bottom for anyone hunting football tips with a bit of value in them.

Fleetwood Town

Fleetwood have lost their last two league games, 4-2 at Cheltenham and then 2-1 at Exeter on 24 October, and they’re 18th in League Two.

It’s a long way from how their season started. They went unbeaten through their first nine games in all competitions, and they still haven’t let in a goal in the League Cup.

They saw off Chesterfield 1-0 and Shrewsbury 4-0 before a Rhys Norrington-Davies own goal knocked out Sheffield United in round three. Ched Evans captained them against his old club that night, and he’s got three goals in three League Cup outings at 37.

Anyone holding free bets might fancy a nibble at $19.00 on the home win. I wouldn’t, but I can see why a side that’s lost one of their 10 home games this season tempts people at that price.

Team News: McCann is suspended. Thompson-Sommers and Cannon are out, while Bennett returns from suspension.

Predicted Lineup: Lynch; Rooney, Bennett, Potter; Cirino, McLean, Neal, Helm, Andrew; Coughlan, Evans.

Arsenal

Fourth-round ties haven’t always gone smoothly for Arsenal.

They’ve gone out at this stage three times since 2015-16. Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham both beat them comfortably, and Liverpool needed penalties to get past them in 2019-20.

I don’t see a repeat here, even with wholesale changes. Arsenal go to Liverpool on 1 November, so most of the side that beat Everton 2-0 on 24 October should get the night off.

I’m more interested in Max Dowman than anyone else in the squad. He scored twice in the 4-2 win at Ipswich on 15 September and was named Player of the Round for his trouble, but he’s barely featured in the league since and he’s still only 16.

Andre Harriman-Annous, 18, could lead the line with Dowman and Eberechi Eze either side of Mikel Merino. Even a back four with a teenager in it, alongside Jurrien Timber and Piero Hincapie, looks far too strong for League Two.

Team News: Saka and Saliba are out. Calafiori is a minor doubt and Tzolis is a major doubt.

Predicted Lineup: Kepa; Timber, Salmon, Mosquera, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly; Dowman, Merino, Eze; Harriman-Annous.

• Arsenal haven’t won the League Cup since 1993.
• Arsenal have won seven of their eight Premier League games.
• Arsenal have kept clean sheets in three of their last four games.
• Fleetwood have drawn five of their 13 League Two games.
• Arsenal lost last season’s League Cup final.

Fleetwood’s best chance is the first 20 minutes, with the home crowd up for it and an Arsenal side that’s barely played together.

If they don’t score early, I’m calling 4-0 to Arsenal. Fleetwood have been tough to break down at home, but a second-string Arsenal side is a big step up from anyone they’ve faced at Highbury this season. I’d also expect fresh legs off the bench to wear them down late on, because Arsenal will have senior attackers to bring on if the game’s still tight after an hour.

BTTS No at $1.50 appeals too.

I’m less sure on that bet though. Evans could nick a goal from a set piece, and I don’t know how a teenager like Marli Salmon will cope with a 37-year-old who’s spent his whole career roughing up centre-backs. Still, I expect Fleetwood to see very little of the ball, and their chances will be few and far between.

Arsenal Over 3.5 Team Goals @ $2.25

A changed Arsenal side were 4-0 up at Ipswich by the hour mark in the last round, and Ipswich are a Premier League club.

Fleetwood are three divisions lower. They’ve conceded six goals across their last two league games, and Arsenal won’t ease off with a young side full of players trying to get noticed.

I’m a little nervous about that home record, and a 3-0 would sting.

I’ll still take $2.25 on Arsenal to score four or more at the best online sports betting sites I use.