Port Vale vs Arsenal Predictions

• Arsenal reached the semi-finals of the EFL Cup last season.
• All four of Arsenal’s wins this season have been accompanied by clean sheets.
• Port Vale haven’t lost by more than one goal since February.

Gunners head to Vale Park in EFL Cup

Arsenal enter the EFL Cup on Wednesday with a trip to League One outfit Port Vale, who may provide a sterner test than the odds suggest.

Vale are priced at around 20/1 to win and 9/1 to qualify, while the Gunners are the massive 1/10 favourites to win the game inside 90 minutes.

Admittedly an upset looks unlikely, but Vale did manage to win at Championship side Birmingham in the last round and backing the hosts top beat a +3 handicap looks the best value option here.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta named strong sides in this competition last season – Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Kai Havertz were among the scorers in a 5-1 home win over Bolton at this stage of the EFL Cup last term – and may stick with that policy again. However, Vale are a fairly solid team and have home advantage. The West Midlands side haven’t lost any game by more than one goal since February and an expected Arsenal win may be routine rather than spectacular.

If the Gunners hit their stride they are capable of putting together big away wins but they’ve only scored more than twice in one of their last 10 road games. Arteta’s side have managed clean sheets in all of their wins this season and that pattern could well continue here, so a a 2-0 win for the visitors is the correct score prediction.