Arsenal are unbeaten in eight meetings with Crystal Palace, winning seven of them, while the Eagles have won only one of their 17 encounters in North London since 1994.
The pair met at the same stage of the same competition one year and five days ago, with the Gunners fighting back from a goal down to prevail 3-2, thanks to Gabriel Jesus' hat-trick.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace preview
Arsenal have only ever won the League Cup on two occasions, doing so in 1987 and '93, beaten in three finals, seven semis and ten quarter-finals since the latter, including being hammered 4-0 on aggregate by Newcastle just under 12 months ago. Well, with 2026 fast approaching, Mikel Arteta is under pressure to deliver silverware, so can his team stay on course to reach March's Carabao Cup Final at Wembley? So far in this season's competition, the Gunners have enjoyed 2-0 victories over both Port Vale and Brighton, with Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka on target in the latter.
Meantime, Arsenal will spend a third Christmas out of the last four top of the Premier League table, two points above Manchester City. On Saturday night, the Gunners claimed a first away league win since 1 November, battling to a 1-0 victory over Everton, with Viktor Gyökeres' first half penalty ultimately the difference on Merseyside. Arteta's team face Brighton, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and then Liverpool between Saturday and 8 January, underlining that the big matches keep on coming, but will Gonners everywhere have an EFL Cup semi-final spot to celebrate just before Christmas?
As for Crystal Palace, having won last year's FA Cup, they're seeking to reach the semi-finals of this competition for only the fifth time, most-recently doing so in 2012. So far this year, the Eagles have ousted fierce South London rivals Millwall on penalties and then steamrollered Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield, with Ismaïla Sarr scoring twice before Yéremy Pino secured a famous victory.
However, this will be the third time Oliver Glasner's side have been in action in just six days, and they are showing clear signs of fatigue. Last Thursday, a heavily rotated Palace team could only draw 2-2 with KuPS, thereby forced to settle for tenth place in the Conference League table. Then, on Saturday night, the Eagles were demolished 4-1 by Leeds at Elland Road, with Justin Devenny's late penalty scant consolation to those who'd made the long trip up to Yorkshire. Now though, can Palace upset the odds and set up a semi-final date with Chelsea, or will Arsenal make home advantage count?
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace head-to-head record
- Matches Played: 59.
- Arsenal Wins: 36. Draws: 17. Crystal Palace Wins: 6.
Arsenal team news
With Benjamin White, Gabriel and Cristhian Mosquera sidelined, Mikel Arteta is very short of defensive options. Myles Lewis-Skelly will surely come in at left-back, while Christian Nørgaard filled in at centre-back in Brugge a fortnight ago, so could he do the same here?
Further forward however, Arteta has a plethora of players from which to choose.
Ethan Nwaneri hasn't started since 4 November against Slavia Prague, but supporters are desperate to see more of the teenager. Eberechi Eze is likely to start against his former side, having scored the only goal when Palace visited North London earlier in the season, with Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke also set to come back in.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Crystal Palace: (4-3-3): Arrizabalaga, Timber, Saliba, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly; Nørgaard, Nwaneri, Eze; Madueke, Martinelli, Merino.
Arsenal player to watch vs Crystal Palace
Since January 2024, Gabriel Jesus has only scored seven goals for Arsenal, five of which have come against Crystal Palace, featuring a hat-trick in last year's EFL Cup and then a brace at Selhurst a few weeks later, so will the Brazilian star again?
Crystal Palace team news
Oliver Glasner is without Ismaïla Sarr who is at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Daniel Muñoz is sidelined due to a knee injury and Daichi Kamada has suffered a hamstring strain, all of whom are major absentees.
After playing squad players and teenagers against KuPS, all of Glanser's key figures were back in at Leeds on Saturday, not that they helped much, expected to go strong here too.
Goalkeeper Walter Benítez has made just four appearances for the club to date, two of which have come in the Carabao Cup, while Nathaniel Clyne will continue to deputise for Muñoz at wing-back.
Crystal Palace predicted lineup vs Arsenal: (3-4-2-1): Benítez; Richards, Guéhi, Lacroix; Clyne, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Yéremy, Nketiah, Mateta.
Crystal Palace player to watch vs Arsenal
Eddie Nketiah spent almost a decade at Arsenal, scored 38 goals in 168 appearances for the first-team. The striker was on target against the Gunners in last year's quarter-final defeat, his 13th Carabao Cup goal, so can he add to this tally, set to start in Sarr's absence.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace prediction
We are backing Arsenal to progress on Tuesday. The Gunners simply boast more squad depth, while Palace's jam-packed fixture schedule is likely to catch up with them: Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace FAQs - Carabao Cup quarter-final
How to watch Arsenal vs Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on TV channel?
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: ITV1, Sky Sports Main Event, Football & Ultra HD.
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Arsenal vs Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on live streaming?
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: ITVX, SkyGo & NOW TV.
- USA: CBS Sports Golazo & Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Arsenal vs Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup?
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace takes place on Tuesday 23 December 2025, with kick off at 20:00 (GMT), 15:00 (ET) & 12:00 (PT).