After what turned out to be an intriguing EFL Carabao Cup Second Round, with some upsets and near ones, the draw for the Third Round took place Wednesday night.
Once the balls were pulled, we got some very interesting games to look forward to at the end of next month.
There will be four all-Premier League ties, including one that should be the match of the round. This round marks the entry of the prominent English clubs into the competition following the conclusion of the second round on Wednesday night.
The defending champions, Manchester United, will kick off their title defense against Premier League rivals Crystal Palace. The Red Devils swept to an easy 2-0 win at Wembley last February to win their first EFL Cup since 2017.
The highlight fixture is the clash between Manchester City, a team known for its consistent success in the tournament under the management of Pep Guardiola, and Newcastle United at St James’ Park. The two teams have already faced off once this season, a 1-0 win for Cityzens.
Chelsea will have an opportunity to field players such as Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez against their former club Brighton. This comes after Mauricio Pochettino’s team narrowly advanced past MK Dons at Stamford Bridge.
Another noteworthy fixture features Arsenal visiting Brentford, while Aston Villa is set to take on Everton. Aston Villa narrowly avoided an embarrassing defeat to Doncaster in the previous round, with new signings Beto and Arnaut Danjuma coming to their rescue in a 2-1 win.
In other matches, Liverpool, despite missing out on Champions League football this season, will be heavily favored against Leicester City at Anfield. Leicester City has been relegated to the Championship.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will face Ipswich at Portman Road, and newly promoted Premier League team Luton will travel to Exeter. Bournemouth will host Stoke City, West Ham will play against Lincoln, who eliminated Sheffield United in a penalty shootout. Burnley’s opponents will be Salford City, the league team associated with the Class of ’92.
Fulham will be hosting Norwich City, while Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough will visit Bradford.
The third round matches are scheduled to take place during the week beginning on Monday, September 25th. Check back later this week for odds from Sports Encyclopedia for the individual games as well as the tournament.
CARABAO CUP THIRD ROUND
Ties to be played week commencing 25th September 2023.
(Home team listed first)
Ipswich vs Wolves
Exeter vs Luton
Aston Villa vs Everton
Manchester United vs Crystal Palace
Port Vale vs Sutton United
Bradford vs Middlesbrough
Bournemouth vs Stoke City
Lincoln vs West Ham
Brentford vs Arsenal
Chelsea vs Brighton
Salford City vs Burnley
Fulham vs Norwich City
Blackburn vs Cardiff
Liverpool vs Leicester
Newcastle vs Manchester City
Mansfield vs Peterborough