The Premier League season might not have started, but the Carabao Cup gets underway tonight with 32 ties taking place. And there will be three more games to come tomorrow, with English Football League clubs looking to make progress before the big boys enter.
The pick of the action comes on Wednesday, with the all-Championship clash between Leeds United and Middlesbrough. Round two will see Premier League clubs who haven’t qualified for European football come into the mix, before the rest join at the third round stage.
There will be no extra time this week, with ties that finish level after 90 minutes to be decided by an immediate penalty shootout.
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When is the Carabao Cup second-round draw?
The Carabao Cup second-round draw will take place on Wednesday, August 14, at around 10.15pm. It will follow the conclusion of the ties between Leeds and Boro, Hull City v Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth v Cheltenham Town.
What channel will the Carabao Cup draw be on?
Sky Sports Football will be showing live coverage of Sheffield United v Wrexham tonight, and have picked the game at Elland Road on Wednesday for their second selected fixture. But in an unprecedented step, all 35 ties will be available to watch on Sky Sports for UK viewers.
Aside from the two ties picked, the rest will be aired on Sky Sports+ and available on the Sky Sports App. All televised fixtures will also be available to watch on streaming service NOW.
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £216 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
With Ultra HD included at no extra cost, football fans can enjoy the 2024/25 season with crystal clear picture quality.
But viewers will have to be tuned in to Sky Sports Football if they then want to see the draw live. It has not yet been confirmed who will be picking out the balls, although the moment is unlikely to match the hilarity of Arsenal fan Piers Morgan being forced to conduct proceedings in a Tottenham shirt in 2018.
How will the Carabao Cup draw work?
Like with the first round, the second round fixtures will be regionalised, with clubs split into north and south sections in bid to limit midweek travel for teams. The ball numbers for the draw have not yet been announced, but 13 Premier League teams will be in the hat along with the winners this week.
It’s not until the third round where teams can be drawn against anyone left in the competition. And at that point, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Chelsea all enter the fray.
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When is the Carabao Cup second round?
The second round ties will take place on the week commencing Monday, August 26. In all likelihood, they will be spread over two days on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28.
The competition will eventually culminate with the final on Sunday, March 25 at Wembley. It’s Liverpool who go in as defending champions, after beating Chelsea 1-0 in the final last year.
