European Clubs Enter Carabao Cup Third Round
The Carabao Cup tightens its grip on the calendar tonight as the third-round draw pulls the Premier League’s European contingent into the competition – but not in one clean sweep.
Manchester City, the holders. Arsenal, still nursing the memory of last season’s final defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side. Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton and Crystal Palace all step in at this stage, their names dropped into the hat at last as the second round winds towards its close.
They won’t be thrown together, though. Not yet.
A pre-draw to keep Europe’s schedule intact
Before a ball is even drawn in anger, there is admin with real consequences. A pre-draw splits those eight clubs involved in the Champions League and Europa League, deciding whether they will play at home or away and, crucially, ensuring they cannot collide with each other in round three.
Uefa’s expanded Champions League and Europa League formats have stretched the calendar. The Carabao Cup has had to bend. The third round is now spread across two weeks, starting Monday 7 September and Monday 14 September.
That split dictates everything.
The five Champions League sides – Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa – must play their Carabao Cup ties in the second of those weeks, with their European campaign opening in the week beginning 7 September.
The Europa League trio – Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace – go the other way. Their European fixtures start from the week beginning 14 September, so their League Cup ties are locked into the first week.
The EFL has been blunt about the logic: Uefa dates cannot move, and the domestic schedule is already jammed. To keep the Carabao Cup on track without ripping up league or cup fixtures, the European eight are protected from facing each other in round three. Every tie has to land in a week where both clubs can actually turn up.
How the draw will unfold
The mechanics tonight are split into two acts.
First, the pre-draw. Before Preston North End’s second-round tie against Everton kicks off at Deepdale, a short ceremony decides whether each of the eight European entrants will be at home or away in round three. No opponents yet, just venues.
Then the main event.
Once Preston v Everton finishes – the tie kicks off at 8pm BST, so the draw is expected to start at around 10.15pm – the third-round draw begins in full on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football. Sky subscribers can also watch via the Sky Go app.
The first eight ties drawn will all involve those Champions League and Europa League clubs, whose home or away status has already been fixed by the pre-draw. Each of them will be pulled from one bowl and paired with a non-European side from a separate bowl. They cannot face each other at this stage.
Only after those eight ties are set do the final eight fixtures come out, drawn as normal from the remaining teams.
From round three onwards, the old North/South divide disappears. It’s one national pot now.
Who’s left standing? The ball numbers
Thirty-two names go into the third-round draw. These are the numbers to watch:
- 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
Several of those slots are still to be claimed. The second round is not done with us yet.
Second round: away days, thrashings and narrow escapes
Last night’s ties set the tone. Leeds United, enjoying life on the road, won at Nottingham Forest for the second time in four days. Hull City clung on at Stoke City, surviving a 1-1 draw before edging through 5-4 on penalties.
Fleetwood Town, the last fourth-tier side standing, hammered Shrewsbury Town 4-0. Brentford, meanwhile, cut loose in brutal fashion, dismantling Birmingham City 6-1.
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
The lower leagues have not gone quietly. They rarely do in this competition.
Tonight’s fixtures – and the cameras are watching
There is still work to be done before the draw is complete.
Four more second-round games go ahead tonight:
Wednesday 28 August
- Bradford City v Burnley
- Newcastle United v West Bromwich Albion
- Preston North End v Everton
- Tottenham Hotspur v Charlton Athletic
David Moyes returns to his managerial roots, taking Everton back to Preston where his dugout career began. At St James’ Park, Matthias Jaissle chases his first competitive win as Newcastle United boss against West Bromwich Albion. In north London, Tottenham host Charlton Athletic – a tie that was not far from being a Championship fixture this season.
Then come the late stragglers, moved for television.
Thursday 27 August
- Chelsea v Luton Town
- Fulham v AFC Wimbledon
Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football commitments mean Chelsea and Fulham round off the second round tomorrow, both at home in west London.
When and where to watch the draw
The build-up starts early. Coverage of Preston v Everton begins at 7pm BST, with the pre-draw expected at around 7.30pm. The main third-round draw follows the final whistle at Deepdale, at roughly 10.15pm BST.
By then, all 32 places will be confirmed. The European elite will know their route in. The underdogs will know which giants they might be hosting under the floodlights.
And with the North/South barrier gone and the calendar squeezed tight, one question hangs over the competition: who will navigate the chaos best as league, Europe and the Carabao Cup collide over the next two weeks?
