THE CARABAO Cup is rolling on into the third round – and the Premier League big boys join the party.
And from this season the third round draw has been hit with an almighty change because of the new Champions League format.
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The Carabao Cup third round will be played across two midweeks this term (w/c 16 Sept and w/c 23 Sept) due to the new European schedule.
Carabao Cup third round rule changes
The draw will consist of 32 clubs – 25 winners from the second round with the seven Premier League clubs in European competitions also entering in this round.
For the main draw, this season TWO separate bowls will be used for picking the balls:
- Bowl 1 – the six Champions League and Europa League clubs
- Bowl 2 – the remaining 26 clubs
A pre-draw will take place before Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle United on Wednesday 28 August to determine the home/away positioning of the six clubs in bowl 1 for the first six ties of the main draw.
Then in the main draw, which takes place after the match at the City Ground, the first six ties will be drawn by switching between one club from Bowl 1 and one club from Bowl 2, with the home/away positioning of the clubs from Bowl 1 already pre-determined in the pre-draw.
The remaining ten ties will then be drawn from teams in Bowl 2 only to complete the draw with Bowl 1 sides already picked.
And from this round of the competition, the draw is no longer split into northern and southern sections.
When is the Carabao Cup third round draw?
The Carabao Cup main draw takes place on Wednesday, August 28 following the conclusion of Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle, expected at around 10.15pm BST.
There will be a pre-draw first to determine the home/away positioning of the clubs in the Champions League and the Europa League.
Mark Chapman will host the draws.
How can I watch the Carabao Cup third round draw?
The Carabao Cup third round draw will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football following Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle.
The draw is also expected to be live streamed for FREE on Sky Sports’ Football’s YouTube channel, as have the first and second round draws this season.
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What are the ball numbers?
Ball numbers will be announced on Wednesday morning.
What are the Carabao Cup second round fixtures?
Northern Section
Grimsby vs Sheffield Wednesday
Everton vs Doncaster
Blackburn vs Blackpool
Fleetwood vs Rotherham
Shrewsbury vs Bolton
Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle
Barrow vs Derby
Leicester vs Tranmere
Middlesbrough vs Stoke
Barnsley vs Sheffield United
Harrogate vs Preston
Walsall vs Huddersfield
Wolves vs Burnley
Southern Section
Coventry vs Oxford United
Swansea vs Wycombe
AFC Wimbledon vs Ipswich
Birmingham vs Fulham
Watford vs Plymouth
West Ham vs Bournemouth
QPR vs Luton
Brighton vs Crawley
Crystal Palace vs Norwich
Cardiff vs Southampton
Millwall vs Leyton Orient
Colchester vs Brentford
