Carabao Cup Third Round Draw: Favourable Ties for Top Teams
Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Tottenham, and Manchester City have all been handed comfortable draws in the Carabao Cup third round, with the Premier League’s European qualifiers facing Football League opposition.
Liverpool, the reigning champions, will take on West Ham at Anfield, while Chelsea face a potentially tricky tie against League Two side Barrow, who are making their debut in the third round.
The draw saw the six teams that qualified for the Champions League and Europa League drawn first, with their opponents determined by a separate draw. Manchester United will host Barnsley at Old Trafford, while Arsenal will welcome Bolton Wanderers to the Emirates.
Aston Villa will travel to Wycombe, Tottenham will visit Coventry City, and Manchester City will host Watford at the Etihad. Elsewhere, there will be an all-Premier League clash between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park, while Brighton will host Wolves.
Newcastle will travel to London to take on AFC Wimbledon, who knocked out Ipswich on penalties on Wednesday night. Eberechi Eze will return to his former club QPR with Crystal Palace, Leicester will travel to nearby Walsall, Fulham will visit Preston North End, and there will be a London derby between Brentford and Leyton Orient.
Blackpool will take on Sheffield Wednesday, and Stoke will host Fleetwood Town, completing the third-round ties.
Erik ten Hag and Manchester United have been handed a fairly routine Carabao Cup draw
Manchester City will welcome Watford to the Etihad in their third round encounter
Arsenal will play Bolton Wanderers at the Emirates in the third round, with the Gunners looking to win a first major trophy since 2020
Liverpool, who won the competition last season, will enter the third round as the holders, while Manchester United will look to win their first trophy under Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag’s side beat Newcastle in 2023 to win the FA Cup, and will be looking to add the Carabao Cup to their trophy cabinet.
Enzo Maresca’s first Carabao Cup tie as Chelsea boss will come against League Two Barrow, who are making their debut in the third round.
Reigning champions Liverpool will take on West Ham at Anfield as they enter the competition
Enzo Maresca’s first Carabao Cup tie as Chelsea boss will come against League Two Barrow
The Carabao Cup third round ties will take place on a date to be confirmed, with the winners advancing to the fourth round.