EFL introduces pre-draw to keep Europe's Premier League clubs apart in Carabao Cup third round

The EFL has overhauled the format of the Carabao Cup third-round draw after Champions League and Europa League fixtures in September created scheduling conflicts for eight Premier League clubs, making a standard draw impossible.

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are all entered in the Champions League this season, while Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland will compete in the Europa League. Fixtures for those two competitions, scheduled for the weeks beginning 7 and 14 September respectively, fall directly in the window earmarked for the Carabao Cup third round — meaning those clubs cannot face each other at that stage.

To resolve the issue, the EFL has introduced a “pre-draw” to be held before the second-round tie between Preston and Everton. That pre-draw will determine whether each of the eight European clubs is assigned a home or away fixture in the main draw, which follows the conclusion of the Preston vs Everton match.

The EFL explained the revised procedure in an official statement: “In the main draw, to be conducted after the round two tie, the first eight ties will involve those Champions League and Europa League clubs, with their home or away position already having been decided, and each will be drawn against a club from a separate bowl containing the remaining teams. Once those eight ties have been drawn, the final eight ties will be drawn as normal.”

The draw takes place before all second-round ties are completed, adding a further layer of complexity — Chelsea vs Luton and Fulham vs AFC Wimbledon are both scheduled for Thursday night, after the draw has already been made.

Brighton could yet enter the picture via the Conference League qualifiers, though that competition does not begin until October and will not affect the third-round scheduling.

Among the standout second-round ties still to be played are Nottingham Forest vs Leeds, Southampton vs West Ham, Newcastle vs West Brom and Tottenham vs Charlton.

Manchester City enter the competition as defending champions, having beaten Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley in February, with Nico O’Reilly scoring both goals.