Carling Cup; Semi-Final: Arsenal V Ipswich Town – Tuesday, 25th January (LIVE on BBC2)

 

Arsenal V Ipswich Town

Tuesday, 25th January – 19:45 (GMT)
Venue: Emirates Stadium
TV Coverage: BBC2

 

Who will qualify for the final at Wembley on February 27th?

Ipswich’s Tamas Priskin was the hero from the first leg, the Hungarian slotting home the only goal of the game at Portman Road as the Tractors Boys plough into the second leg with the slimmest of aggregate advantages (1-0). A whole host of firms go 7/2 (4.50) on Paul Jewell’s men riding their slim lead all the way through to next month’s final at Wembley, however Arsenal are overwhelming favourites to overhaul the Championship outfit but won’t make anyone rich fast at odds of 1/5 (1.20) with WilliamHill.

 

Arsenal

After a below par display in the first leg, in which the Gunners struggled to carve out openings despite coming up against a team which at the time were struggling down in the Championship and had recently been walloped 7-0 by Chelsea in the FA Cup, Arsene Wenger is justifiably demanding a much improved performance in the second and decisive leg.

The Frenchman is also set to name a strong starting XI in a bid to overcome the slim deficit, a team not too dissimilar to the one which comprehensively beat a defenceless Wigan Athletic, Robin Van Persie one of a number to have shined at the weekend, and the Dutchman could make his very first appearance in the Carling Cup this season. Could the sleek forward, who now has five goals in his last two games, prove the difference on Tuesday in a match Arsenal need to score a fair few goals if they’re to put this tie to bed?

All the big hitters are expected to feature at some stage however, though knowing how eager, some may even say desperate, the fans are to see a trophy after a six-year drought, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see Wenger name a full-strength team – Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin Van Persie among those who could start at the Emirates as Arsenal set out to blast their way into next month’s final.

Either side of their 3-1 victory over Leeds United in the FA Cup a week ago are two three-goal hauls in the league, Arsenal having notched up nine goals in their last three competitive matches since going down 1-0 at Portman Road in the opening leg. Their preparation has gone swimmingly. Goals have been flying in, while only Leeds have located the back of the Arsenal net since Tamas Priskin’s first-leg strike two weeks ago.

The 2006/2007 Carling Cup remains Arsenal’s most recent appearance in a major final, though the Gunners weren’t victorious on that occasion. The fans haven’t been to Wembley since, apart from an FA Cup semi-final, which they also lost. Another stellar performance similar to that of the weekend, their last three games in fact, would almost certainly see Arsene Wenger’s side back in a final showcasing their extravagant talents in front of a worldwide audience, albeit in a competition the vast majority, including themselves, care very little about until this very stage of proceedings.

 

Ipswich Town

Paul Jewell must have been kicking himself when he decided it would be best to delay his managerial début two weeks ago and instead opt for a spot in the Portman Road terrace, as the former Derby County and Wigan Athletic manager would have taken a large portion of the credit for Ipswich’s stunning 1-0 win in the first-leg. Ironically, Jewell’s first game in charge was in Ipswich’s 2-1 defeat away at Millwall just three days later, though the Tractors Boys have since responded and will fortunately arrive in London in buoyant mood following their weekend triumph over Doncaster in the league.

Despite the seemingly obvious gulf in class between the two, Ipswich made a mockery of the form book when stunning the Premier League glamour boys to win the opening leg 1-0. Tamas Priskin scored his team’s winner as the Tractors Boys dug deep and produced arguably their most accomplished performance of the season; remaining compact at the back but also lively and opportunistic on the break. Priskin could actually have bagged himself a hat-trick as the Championship side caused the Gunners all sorts of problems on the counter, time and time again as well. Paul Jewell will adopt similar tactics on Tuesday inside a formidable Emirates Stadium.

Paul Jewell is adamant that if his team produced a similar performance to that of the first leg, then his side will remain in the hunt for an unlikely spot in next month’s final. However, few have any confidence in an Ipswich defence which has kept just two clean sheets since the end of October, though fittingly both of those came in this very competition. Unfortunately, however, both were at Portman Road. Over at the Emirates, I’m afraid the doubts begin to surface. After all, they have only kept one away clean sheet in thirteen matches down in the Championship, against inferior opposition as well – so what chance have they up against an Arsenal side who can carve defences of Premiershio calibre to pieces on a regular basis?

Ipswich were outstanding in the first leg, very workmanlike but bright and positive when asked to push forward and test an Arsenal defence which while it has kept several shut-outs of late, is still very much fragile and understrength. Jewell will need to somehow squeeze a performance out of his team better than the one which earned Ipswich a narrow first-leg advantage a fortnight ago, as Arsenal will lay siege to the Ipswich goal right from the off on Tuesday. It will be a test of their resolve and mental toughness more than anything else, especially if they concede the opening goal early on, as once Arsenal get on top of them there may not be anyway back.

 

Last 5 Results

Arsenal

Premiership: Arsenal 3-0 Wigan Athletic
FA Cup: Leeds United 1-3 Arsenal
Premiership: West Ham United 0-3 Arsenal
Carling Cup: Ipswich Town 1-0 Arsenal
FA CUP: Arsenal 1-1 Leeds United

Ipswich Town

Championship: Ipswich Town 3-2 Doncaster
Championship: Millwall 2-1 Ipswich Town
Carling Cup: Ipswich Town 1-0 Arsenal
FA Cup: Chelsea 7-0 Ipswich Town
Championship: Ipswich Town 0-1 Nottingham Forest

 

2010/2011 League Statistics

Arsenal

League Position: 2nd
Win-Draw-Lose: 14-4-5 (Home: 7-1-3)
Goal Difference: 48-22 (Home: 25-11)
Form: DWDWW (Home: LWWDW)
Top Scorer: Samir Nasri (9)

Ipswich Town (Championship)

League Position: 19th
Win-Draw-Lose: 9-4-13 (Away: 3-3-7)
Goal Difference: 30-36 (Away: 12-18)
Form: WDLLW (Away: LLLDL)
Top Scorer: Jason Scotland (7)

 

Match Prediction: Arsenal to WIN -1.14 Bet365

I highlighted a possible upset in the first leg and it came to fruition, though by upset I assumed the draw would be the best result Ipswich could conjure. I was wrong then and I hope I’m proved wrong second time round as well, as we all love seeing an underdog in a final. Quite how that will happen I’m not sure.

Even if the Tractor Boys do work their socks off like they did in the opening leg, it’s mighty difficult not to envisage success for Arsenal. The Gunners play with so much confidence, with a swagger basically, when the embrace the Emirates with their magical presence. Their football is often out of this world, as is the array of talent at Wenger’s disposal. It really ought to be straightforward.

We have no doubt the visitors will give it their all on Tuesday, the lure of Wembley providing Paul Jewell’s men with a very attractive incentive. However, while their work rate and endeavour will probably be second to none, it doesn’t always overshadow class and superior technical ability, which is what they face at the Emirates. Still, if they can utilise their speedy wingers and keep Tamas Priskin busy like they did in the first leg, then who knows. If they could score just the one then it would make the task at hand just that little bit harder for their hosts, who are expected to run riot, though we must stress away goals do not count, that is unless Ipswich hold their own until the end of extra-time.

Value Bet: Both Teams to Score – 2.38 StanJames

Do Ipswich have a goal in them? Arsenal’s eagerness to restore parity as quickly as possible may well lead to gaps at the back, particularly in a match where the Arsenal full-back will bomb forward at every opportunity. Ipswich were deadly on the break back at Portman Road and if they can reproduce something similar in London, well then a shock just might be on the cards.

 

Match Odds:

Arsenal – 1.14 Bet365
Draw – 9.50 BetFred
Ipswich Town – 21.00 totesport