European Teams Enter Carabao Cup Third Round
The Carabao Cup steps up a gear tonight. The third-round draw arrives, and with it the entrance of English football’s European contingent – and a few complications to keep the balls apart.
Holders Manchester City are in. So are last season’s beaten finalists Arsenal. Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton and Crystal Palace all join the competition at this stage, waiting to discover who stands between them and a first serious marker in the domestic season.
They won’t be thrown together, though. Not yet.
Why the big guns can’t face each other
Before a single second-round ball is drawn on television, there is a quieter ceremony: the pre-draw.
Here, the eight clubs involved in UEFA competitions are split and assigned either home or away status for round three. The aim is simple: keep them apart so no Champions League or Europa League side faces another in this round, and make sure every tie can be played without clashing with UEFA dates.
The EFL has been blunt about the logic. UEFA fixtures are locked in. They cannot move. To keep the Carabao Cup on schedule and avoid chaos with league and domestic cup games, those eight clubs in Europe will not be allowed to meet in round three. Each will instead be drawn against a side from a separate bowl containing the remaining teams.
Once those eight ties are out of the way, the final eight fixtures are drawn as normal. From this round onwards, the old North/South divide disappears. It’s one national pot.
A new calendar, a new rhythm
The expanded Champions League and Europa League formats have knocked the domestic calendar off its old axis. The Carabao Cup third round no longer fits neatly into a single midweek.
Instead, it now stretches across two: starting in the week commencing Monday 7 September and continuing into the week commencing Monday 14 September.
That split is dictated by Europe. The five Champions League clubs – Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa – must play their Carabao Cup ties in the second week, as the first round of Champions League group fixtures falls in the week of 7 September.
The three Europa League participants – Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace – go the other way. Their European campaign starts in the week beginning 14 September, so their League Cup ties are scheduled for the earlier window.
Brighton’s status hinges on Conference League qualification. If they make it, they join that European cohort in the third round.
How and when to watch the draw
The main draw takes place tonight, Wednesday 26 August, after Preston North End’s second-round tie against Everton at Deepdale.
Kick-off is at 8pm BST. If the game runs its normal course, the draw is expected to begin at around 10.15pm BST.
The pre-draw – deciding home or away for the European clubs – comes earlier, before that match gets underway. With TV coverage starting at 7pm BST, that preliminary stage is likely to fall at around 7.30pm.
Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football will show the draw live, with Sky Sports subscribers also able to stream it via the Sky Go app.
Tonight’s fixtures before the balls come out
Before the cameras swing fully to the velvet bags and plastic balls, there is still business to settle on the pitch.
Four second-round ties are played tonight:
- Bradford City v Burnley
- Newcastle United v West Bromwich Albion
- Preston North End v Everton
- Tottenham Hotspur v Charlton Athletic
Then two more follow tomorrow, moved for television as part of the first Monday Night Football of the season:
- Chelsea v Luton Town
- Fulham v AFC Wimbledon
For David Moyes, it’s a return to his roots as he takes Everton back to Preston, where his managerial journey truly began. At St James’ Park, Matthias Jaissle chases his first competitive win as Newcastle boss against West Brom. In north London, Tottenham host Charlton – a tie that, not long ago, would not have looked out of place in the Championship.
Only once those results are in will the full third-round picture be clear.
Who’s already through? Second-round story so far
The second round has already delivered a few statements.
Leeds United enjoyed another profitable trip to the City Ground, beating Nottingham Forest away for the second time in four days. Hull City clung on at Stoke City, squeezing through on penalties. Fleetwood Town, the only fourth-tier side to survive, hammered Shrewsbury Town 4-0. Brentford, meanwhile, cut loose with a 6-1 demolition of Birmingham City.
Full results so far:
Northern Section
- Doncaster Rovers 1–3 Middlesbrough
- Barnsley 3–2 Crewe Alexandra
- Blackburn Rovers 1–2 Sheffield United
- Blackpool 1–4 Lincoln City
- Fleetwood Town 4–0 Shrewsbury Town
- Sheffield Wednesday 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Stoke City 1–1 (4–5 p) Hull City
- Nottingham Forest 0–2 Leeds United
Southern Section
- Cardiff City 1–2 Norwich City
- Cambridge United 0–1 Millwall
- Ipswich Town 3–1 Leicester City
- Plymouth Argyle 2–4 Coventry City
- Southampton 1–4 West Ham United
- Stevenage 0–3 Reading
- Walsall 0–0 (5–6 p) Leyton Orient
- Watford 1–5 Peterborough United
- Birmingham City 1–6 Brentford
Plenty of goals. A few jolts. And a clear message that lower-league sides are ready to swing at anyone who underestimates them in round three.
Ball numbers: who’s in the hat?
Once the last second-round ties are settled, these are the numbers to listen for in the third-round draw:
- AFC Bournemouth
- Arsenal
- Aston Villa
- Crystal Palace
- Manchester City
- Manchester United
- Liverpool
- Sunderland
- Barnsley
- Brentford
- Brighton & Hove Albion
- Coventry City
- Fleetwood Town
- Hull City
- Ipswich Town
- Leeds United
- Leyton Orient
- Lincoln City
- Middlesbrough
- Millwall
- Norwich City
- Peterborough United
- Reading
- Sheffield United
- West Ham United
- Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Bradford City / Burnley
- Newcastle United / West Bromwich Albion
- Tottenham Hotspur / Charlton Athletic
- Preston North End / Everton
- Chelsea / Luton Town
- Fulham / AFC Wimbledon
The first eight ties drawn will involve the European clubs, their home or away status already fixed by the pre-draw. Only then will the rest of the field be paired off.
The cup that tests everyone early
This is where the season starts to tighten. Managers juggling European travel, league form and early injuries now have another decision to make: rotate and risk, or go strong and chase a trophy that can change a campaign before Christmas.
For some, the Carabao Cup is a proving ground. For others, it’s the first realistic shot at silverware.
By the time the last ball is drawn tonight, we’ll know which giants have been handed a gentle start – and which have been thrown straight into a storm.
