Ipswich Town Host Leicester City in Carabao Cup Second Round

Premier League side Ipswich Town host League One club Leicester City at Portman Road on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in the second round of the 2026-27 Carabao Cup, aiming to build momentum after an opening weekend victory.

The two sides competed in the Championship last season before moving in opposite directions. Ipswich secured promotion to the top flight following a heavy transfer window spend of around £150 million for 12 new players, whereas Leicester dropped down to League One.

Ipswich entered the mid-week fixture following a 2-1 win over Sunderland on Saturday, secured by a 90th-minute goal from Jack Clarke. Conversely, Leicester suffered a 2-1 defeat against Burton Albion in their latest league outing after advancing past Northampton Town 1-0 in the cup's first round.

The fixture marks a return to Suffolk for former Ipswich players Wes Burns and Conor Chaplin, who both transferred to the King Power Stadium during the summer window. Leicester manager Russell Martin also prepares to face his former Norwich City teammate Gary O'Neil.

O'Neil acknowledged the history between the two clubs while maintaining that his squad expects a stern challenge on home turf.

"I'm desperate to beat Leicester," said Gary O'Neil, Ipswich Town manager. "They're going to come here and definitely try and leave some marks on us and have a right go at us."

The Ipswich manager emphasized that recent divisional separation does not alter the competitive nature of the matchup.

"I know it's Premier League against League One, but it's obviously closer than that with the journey that the clubs have been on," said O'Neil. "They were in the same league last year, so it will be a real test."

O'Neil pointed to the visitors' managerial leadership and squad quality as key factors ahead of kickoff.

"Leicester are in League One, but they've got a manager who was in the Premier League recently, really recently," said O'Neil. "A good coach, good players, so it will be a real test. Leicester will definitely come and test us."

The match also presents an opportunity to acknowledge returning players who contributed to Ipswich's prior campaigns.

"It's nice for Wes to be able to come back because the plan was for him to be with us this year," said O'Neil. "But he obviously had an offer which was really good for him, and we'd never want to stand in his way after the incredible service that he gave the club, and he'll probably get a send-off that he more than deserves."

O'Neil expressed similar sentiment regarding Chaplin's service to the club before the pair departed in the summer transfer window.

"Obviously, Conor Chaplin was incredible for the football club as well, so it'll be nice to see them back," said O'Neil.

Looking beyond individual player reunions, O'Neil reaffirmed his squad's focus on squad depth and domestic cup progression.

"Yes, but not for any reason other than that we've got a really strong group," said O'Neil.

The Ipswich manager indicated that squad rotation would be necessary due to the rapid turnaround in the fixture list.

"As you saw with the subs [against the Black Cats], I trust the group, I trust everybody in the group," said O'Neil. "There will be some changes, of course, because we have a really busy week, but not changes for changes' sake, we're going to try and win the game on Tuesday and try and progress to the next round."

Addressing the club's early exit from the competition last season following a penalty shootout loss at Bromley, O'Neil emphasized a consistent approach across all competitions.

"Always," said O'Neil. "We just try and win every game. Last year at Strasbourg we were playing every three days and we had to try to figure out which competition was most important. Sometimes I forgot which game was in which competition!"

O'Neil reiterated that maintaining a winning mindset remains the priority regardless of the tournament structure.

"We just tried to win, so we'll just try and win," said O'Neil. "It doesn't bother me whether it's a league win or cup win, I hate seeing my team lose, so we'll just try to win."

The match also reconnects O'Neil with Martin, his former Norwich teammate who joined Leicester following a brief stint at Rangers.

"It was a nice draw for that," said O'Neil. "Glad we're at home and nice for Wes to be able to come back because the plan was for him to be with us this year."

Reflecting on past comments regarding their competitive nature during their playing days, O'Neil reflected on his standards as a player.

"I had fairly high standards, I think," said O'Neil. "I didn't mean to moan, I just wanted things done properly. That's probably why I've ended up sat here."

O'Neil noted that he has closely followed Martin's managerial path through previous stops at Southampton and in Scotland.

"But we played together, I know Russ, we've stayed in touch, I've followed his coaching career, he's done unbelievably well, a fantastic job at Southampton and he will test us," said O'Neil.

Despite Leicester's tough start in League One, O'Neil expressed confidence in Martin's tactical structure and long-term outlook.

"Playing against his teams is really tough," said O'Neil. "Always well coached, always well organised, have a great style and sometimes things go against you as a manager that aren't always fully in your control."

O'Neil referenced his own period out of management when discussing how external factors impact head coaches.

"I spoke about this a little bit while I was out of work, around how the club and who you work for and the direction of travel is far more important than the head coach himself," said O'Neil.

The Ipswich boss backed Martin to guide Leicester back up the football league hierarchy.

"I don't know Russ's situation, I don't know what's gone on, really, but I know that he's an intelligent guy and a good coach, and I expect him to do a fantastic job at Leicester," said O'Neil.

O'Neil concluded by reaffirming his focus on securing victory despite his positive relationship with the visiting manager.

"I think it's a fantastic appointment from them, I expect them to be right up at the top of League One, but on Tuesday I'm desperate to try and beat him," said O'Neil.

O'Neil recalled their previous meeting in the Premier League as an indicator of the challenge ahead.

"I think last time we played them at Wolves, [we won] 2-0 [at home to] Southampton, but it was a tough game for us, so it will be that again," said O'Neil.

Kickoff for the Carabao Cup second-round tie is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. BST at Portman Road, with broadcasting scheduled on Sky Sports+ in the United Kingdom and Paramount+ in the United States.