Carabao Cup draw explained as Liverpool fans catch glimpse of new system

7 hours ago 3

The third round draw of the Carabao Cup is set to take place on Wednesday, but organizers have been compelled to conduct it in two stages in a brand-new system.

Cambridge, Port Vale, and Bradford are among the clubs eagerly awaiting their fate after claiming victories over higher league opponents on Tuesday. These three are part of the 32 teams that will compete in the third round matches during the weeks commencing September 15 and 22.

Liverpool will enter the competition at the third round stage due to the club's Champions League commitments. Teams playing in Europe are given a bye for the opening two rounds of the Carabao Cup, as Liverpool lost last year's final to Newcastle.

There are still four second-round ties to be settled on Wednesday, with Grimsby's clash against Manchester United being the standout game. But it's not the incomplete previous round that complicates the draw.

Rather, it's the Champions League and Europa League schedules overlapping with the Carabao Cup that has necessitated changes in the draw procedure. UEFA's top two club competitions take precedence over the domestic cup competition.

To prevent any scheduling conflicts, teams participating in the Champions League or Europa League will be segregated in the third round.

Liverpool will be ball No. 14 in the draw

This season, nine Premier League sides are competing in Europe, with eight of them in the Champions League and Europa League – a significant portion of the Carabao Cup's participants.

To ensure feasibility and avoid match clashes, the EFL has decided to conduct a pre-draw before the Grimsby vs. Manchester United match.

This will determine whether the eight teams involved in the Champions League or Europa League will play their third round matches at home or away.

The eight teams, namely Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa, will be drawn against eight teams not participating in Europe.

The remaining eight ties will then be drawn in the usual manner.

The geographical division used in the earlier rounds will no longer apply.

Here are the numbers to watch for in the Carabao Cup third round draw...