Port Vale – Arsenal

Arsenal will conserve their energy in the second half of the match in Stoke-on-Trent.

Port Vale began the current season in League One - the third tier of English football. The team, nicknamed the "Valiants", is known for moving between League One and League Two, which has happened several times over the past two decades. Last football year, Port Vale, under the management of Darren Moore, finished second in League Two and now aims to maintain their status in the stronger division. In the EFL Cup, the "Valiants" perform variably year by year. In the season before last, they overcame four teams before being eliminated by Middlesbrough in the quarter-finals. Last season, the team exited the tournament in the first round, losing to Barrow 2-3. Arsenal is the club that sets itself the task of winning every tournament in which it participates. However, in the context of national competitions, the EFL Cup has proven to be won by the "Gunners" significantly less often than the FA Cup and the Premier League. The last time the London club won this tournament was 32 years ago. Last season, Arteta’s team reached the semi-finals, where they lost both matches to Newcastle, and the season before that, they only got past one opponent before being eliminated in the Round of 16. Bookmakers have made the visitors the favourites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.10 for their victory. By mid-September, Port Vale seems to have settled into League One. The team’s lengthy winless streak was replaced by two victories. This allows them to occupy nineteenth place in the league table, but the mood among the players should be good ahead of the arrival of a top English club. In the two previous rounds of the EFL Cup, the "Valiants" won with the same score of 1-0. If the win over Blackpool here should not be given too much attention, beating Birmingham away is quite a feat. Recently, Arsenal played a very tough league match against Manchester City, where they salvaged a draw in stoppage time. Undoubtedly, Arteta will field his closest reserve squad, as in three full days, the "Gunners" travel for a Premier League match against another English representative in the Champions League - Newcastle. No matter how the first half goes, Arsenal will operate in a more economical mode in the second half.