Will there be VAR for Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal?

Will there be VAR for Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal? The EFL have confirmed the match official appointments for the upcoming round of League Cup fixtures, including Arsenal’s trip away to Fleetwood Town. Photo by George Wood/Getty Images The EFL have confirmed the match official appointments for all of their fourth round League Cup fixtures, including Arsenal’s trip away to Fleetwood Town on Tuesday. Michael Salisbury will referee the match, assisted by Matthew Wilkes and Alex James . Lewis Smith will act as the fourth official. There will be no VAR in use for the match, just as was the case in the previous round. Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images The EFL previously decided only to use VAR in rounds of the League Cup when every single stadium to host a match during that round has access to the technology. Effectively, that means the final is the only round guaranteed to use VAR, as Wembley has access to the system and the Wembley final is the only match of that round. Last season, VAR didn’t come into play until the semi-finals, as Championship side Cardiff City hosted one of the quarter-finals. This ended up being pivotal, as eventual competition winners Manchester City avoided a 16th-minute red card in the quarter-finals due to the lack of a review process. Photo by George Wood/Getty Images Salisbury’s appointment means this is the first time in four League Cup games that Arsenal haven’t been refereed by Peter Bankes . Somewhat bizarrely, Bankes refereed Arsenal’s League Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea , the League Cup final against Manchester City , and the the League Cup third round against Ipswich Town . Salisbury has only refereed Arsenal twice before, in a 4-0 win over Bournemouth in 2023, and a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in 2025. But he’s been the VAR official on many more occasions, acting as the VAR 19 times in Arsenal games. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images