Is Preston North End v Arsenal on TV? Kick-off time, VAR, channel and how to watch Carabao Cup fixture

Preston North End welcome Premier League giants Arsenal to Deepdale in a Carabao Cup round four tie.

Paul Heckingbottom’s men defeated Fulham in the previous round and as a reward have drawn a home tie against Arsenal, who breezed past Bolton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium. It's the first competitive meeting between the two sides in seven years, and it's 64-years since PNE were on the winning side against the North London outfit.

Tonight’s match is available to watch for those unable to attend. Here’s all you need to know, such as what time is kick-off, the referee, what TV channel, and if you can buy a ticket.

When is Preston North End v Arsenal?

The Lilywhites and the Gunners clash in Lancashire on Wednesday, October 30 with a kick-off time of 7.45 pm.

Can I get tickets?

Arsenal were given an allocation of 5,656 tickets in the Bill Shankly Kop Stand. Tickets were priced at £30 for adults, £25 for 65s and over, £20 for under-23s, £15 for under-19s, a tenner for under-14s, and £5 for those under the age of 11, Arsenal sold out their tickets for the fixture. 

Tickets went off sale to home supporters on Tuesday, October 29 at 5.00 pm. A limited numbers of tickets remained to those registered on the club’s database prior to mid-September. No tickets are available to buy on match day.

Will it be on TV and can I stream it?

Yes. For those unable to attend, this match is being shown by Sky Sports. It’s not on any of the main channels, but if you have a Sky Sports subscription you can watch it on Sky Sports+. 

Simply search for Preston North End or Arsenal in to your TV guide and the game should appear around 15 or 30 minutes before kick-off. You can go on to the Sky Sports + channel with your remote, press the red button and it should appear. 

If you’re out and about, but a Sky Sports subscriber then as long as you have the app on the phone and you’ve got your Sky login with you, you’ll be able to watch it on your mobile. 

If you’re not a Sky Sports subscriber, then you can buy a Now TV Sports Membership pass for £14.99. It will give you access to all of Sky Sports’ channels for the next 24-hours.

Is there VAR?

No. Preston North End are not a Premier League club and so there is no VAR in effect. The only time that VAR is guaranteed to be used is the final. VAR is only used when all host clubs are capable of hosting VAR, and with several lower league teams still in the competition, no game will have it. 

Who is the referee?

Peter Bankes is the referee and he will be supported by Edward Smart and Nick Greenhalgh as his linesman and Tony Harrington as the fourth official. Bankes comes from the Liverpool Football Association, and he’s mainly done Premier League games this season. 

He’s overseen six matches, and has brandished 31 yellow cards, but no reds. Bankes didn’t do a Preston game last season, but was the ref for Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Wolves. You have to go back to January 2023 for the last time Bankes did a Preston game as a ref, as he was the man in the middle for their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal’s North London rivals Spurs.