Port Vale vs Arsenal betting tips and free bets

Port Vale are hoping to cause a huge upset in the Carabao Cup as they take on Arsenal at home and it should be a great game to watch for fans of both clubs, as well as neutral football fans. Read on for our betting tips for the match and details around Midnite’s exciting new customer offer, which can see you receive £30 in free bets when you sign up.

£30 in free bets to use on Carabao Cup football with Midnite

Midnite are currently offering a welcome bonus that’s perfect for the Carabao Cup. New customers who bet £10 on any market with minimum odds of 1/1 (2.0) will receive £30 in free bets. The free bets are awarded once the qualifying acca bet settles and are valid for seven days.

This promotion can be used on any football markets, including all this week’s Carabao Cup fixtures. Be sure to check the full terms and conditions on Midnite’s site to ensure your bet qualifies.

Port Vale vs Arsenal Betting Tips

Our betting expert has three Port Vale vs Arsenal tips for Wednesday’s EFL Cup third-round match at Vale Park (kick-off 8pm). Scroll down for the analysis behind his selections.

• Arsenal to win & under 3.5 goals @ 6/5
• Liam Gordon to be booked @ 11/5
• Bet Builder – Under 1.5 first-half goals, Ethan Nwaneri to score & Ryan Croasdale to have one or more shots @ 11/1

Gunners should grind out victory at Vale Park

Port Vale earned a glamorous EFL Cup third-round tie at home to Arsenal thanks to their dogged 1-0 wins away to Blackpool and Birmingham in the first two rounds.

They must show the same defensive grit to keep the scoreline respectable against the Gunners but the League One side are unlikely to be hammered on their own patch.

Vale come into this game in decent form, winning four of their last six matches, while Arsenal needed a late equaliser from Gabriel Martinelli to avoid a home defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta’s men kicked off their Champions League campaign with an unflashy 2-0 win away to Athletic Bilbao last week and it could be a similar story at Vale Park.

The Valiants’ hopes of a cup upset are boosted by some significant absentees in the Arsenal attacking unit. Noni Madueke has joined Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus on the sidelines and Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are unlikely to be risked before this weekend’s Premier League trip to Newcastle.

As well as their narrow EFL Cup wins, Vale have shared goalless draws with Cardiff and Burton in the league and lost 1-0 to Doncaster and Reading.

They may struggle to land a blow on an Arsenal defence who have conceded only twice in six matches so a low-scoring away win looks the best bet. 

• Port Vale vs Arsenal tip 1: Arsenal to win & under 3.5 goals @ 6/5

Vale full-back faces a tricky test

Port Vale left-back Liam Gordon is no stranger to a booking and his name may well end up in the referee’s notebook on Wednesday evening.

Gordon was cautioned 10 times for Walsall in League Two last season and he has picked up two yellow cards in his first five league starts for Vale.

Those bookings came in his last two appearances against Exeter and Mansfield and he will be up against far better attackers when Arsenal visit Vale Park.

Even without England internationals Saka and Madueke, the Gunners have some top-class wingers in their ranks and Gordon, who averages 1.2 fouls per game in League One, looks a leading card candidate.   

• Port Vale vs Arsenal tip 2: Liam Gordon to be booked @ 11/5

Nwaneri could shine in slow-burning Arsenal win

Only one of Arsenal’s first six matches has featured over 1.5 first-half goals – the home win over Leeds in which Saka put the Gunners 2-0 up in first-half injury-time.

A much changed Arsenal starting line-up may take time to find their rhythm at Vale Park but youngster Ethan Nwaneri poses a serious goal threat for the visitors.

He scored three times in last term’s EFL Cup wins over Bolton and Preston, forcing his way into Arteta’s first-team plans, and is a likely starter on Wednesday.

Arsenal’s defensive understudies could include Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly and impressive summer signing Cristhian Mosquera so goalscoring chances may be scarce for Vale.

However, midfielder Ryan Croasdale looks a good Bet Builder selection to have one or more shots. He has had five attempts in four league starts at Vale Park this season and scored in a 3-2 defeat to Leyton Orient earlier this month.

• Port Vale vs Arsenal tip 3: Bet Builder – Under 1.5 first-half goals, Ethan Nwaneri to score & Ryan Croasdale to have one or more shots @ 11/1