Manchester City have been the Carabao Cup kings in recent seasons. In last season's final, two goals from Nico O'Reilly just four minutes apart saw Pep Guardiola's side beat Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley. This was Guardiola's fifth EFL Cup triumph, and the seventh time the Sky Blues have hoisted the trophy aloft since 2014. This takes their tally to nine titles overall, only one behind Liverpool's record.
Well, the Citizens' quest to reach Wembley once again will commence next month, poised to learn who their first opponents will be. The third round draw is unnecessarily complicated, but here is everything you need to know.
When is the Carabao Cup third round draw?
The Carabao Cup third round draw is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 26 August. It will start at around 10:15pm (BST), following Sky Sports' live coverage of Preston North End's tie against Everton.
When do Carabao Cup third round matches take place?
The EFL Cup third round matches are split across the weeks commencing 7 and 14 September. This is to avoid scheduling conflicts with the expanded UEFA competitions. The first of those midweeks is an exclusive week for the Champions League, followed by the same for the Europa League.
Thus, given that they are in UEFA's premier competition, we know that Man City's EFL Cup tie will take place on Wednesday 16 September. This comes in-between the Manchester derby at Old Trafford and Sunderland's visit to the Etihad, both in the Premier League.
Who can Manchester City NOT face in the Carabao Cup third round and why?
As a result of the expanded UEFA league phases, as already alluded to, Manchester City cannot draw another club competing in either the Champions League or Europa League. Thus, they will not face Arsenal, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland or Crystal Palace.
England's UEFA Conference League representatives Brighton & Hove Albion are not in this category, as that competition's league phase does not start until October. Due to this, a pre-draw will take place at around 7:20pm (BST). This will determined if the Citizens will be home or away, before the identity of their opponents are revealed later in the evening.
Who can Manchester City face in the Carabao Cup third round?
Put succinctly, Enzo Maresca's team can face any of the 23 teams who are victorious in round two this mid-week, plus the aforementioned Brighton. These teams are documented below, with six ties still to be played at the time of publication.
Manchester City's possible EFL Cup round 3 opponents:
- Premier League: Brighton & Hove Albion, Hull City, Leeds United, Ipswich Town, Coventry City & Brentford.
- EFL Championship: Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Lincoln City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Norwich City, Millwall & West Ham United.
- EFL League One: Barnsley, Reading, Leyton Orient & Peterborough United.
- EFL League Two: Fleetwood Town.
Ties still to be played
- Wednesday: Bradford City vs Burnley, Newcastle United vs West Bromwich Albion, Preston North End vs Everton and Tottenham Hotspur vs Charlton Athletic.
- Thursday: Chelsea vs Luton Town and Fulham vs AFC Wimbledon.
How can I watch Manchester City in the Carabao Cup?
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, all 92 EFL Cup matches are shown live by Sky Sports across their various channels. Free-to-air broadcaster ITV also showcase a minimum of one match per round.
In the United States, CBS Sports Golazo and Paramount+ broadcast all the Carabao Cup matches.
Around the world, you can catch the EFL Cup on DAZN in Canada, beIN SPORTS in Australia, France, New Zealand and most Arab speaking countries, as well as Disney+ in South America and Startimes World in Africa.
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