3rd Round Opponents ?

[Jimmy_Tango]

Re: 3rd Round Opponents ?

Very nice of the League Cup organisers to mandate that the Premier Leagues coming into the competition for the 3rd round can't be drawn against each other!

I didn't know this, that's disgraceful

[The Lone Gunman]

Re: 3rd Round Opponents ?

I didn't know this, that's disgraceful

Not really. Here's an explanation:

The draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday night – but organisers have been forced to do it in two stages. Cambridge, Port Vale and Bradford are among the clubs in the draw after taking scalps from higher leagues on Tuesday night. They are three of the 32 sides who will play third round fixtures on the weeks beginning September 15 and September 22.

There are still four second round ties to take care of on Wednesday night, with Grimsby hosting Manchester United the pick of the games. But it isn’t the fact that the previous round isn’t complete that complicates the draw. Instead it is the Champions League and Europa League that has forced the EFL to alter the way they will conduct the draw. The Carabao Cup schedule overlaps with those of UEFA’s top two club competitions and they take precedence over the domestic cup competition.

To avoid any clashes, clubs taking part in the Champions League or Europa League will be kept apart in the third round. There are nine Premier League sides competing in Europe this season, with eight of those in the Champions League and Europa League – a significant number of the Carabao Cup's competitors.

In order to make it viable and ensure the ties don’t clash, the EFL have decided that a pre-draw will be conducted before Grimsby vs United. That will decide whether the eight sides involved in the Champions League or Europa League will be drawn at home or away. Those sides are Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. They will be drawn against eight teams who are not competing in Europe, before the other eight ties will be drawn in the normal fashion.

[Der Kaiser]

Re: 3rd Round Opponents ?

Not really. Here's an explanation:

The draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday night – but organisers have been forced to do it in two stages. Cambridge, Port Vale and Bradford are among the clubs in the draw after taking scalps from higher leagues on Tuesday night. They are three of the 32 sides who will play third round fixtures on the weeks beginning September 15 and September 22.

There are still four second round ties to take care of on Wednesday night, with Grimsby hosting Manchester United the pick of the games. But it isn’t the fact that the previous round isn’t complete that complicates the draw. Instead it is the Champions League and Europa League that has forced the EFL to alter the way they will conduct the draw. The Carabao Cup schedule overlaps with those of UEFA’s top two club competitions and they take precedence over the domestic cup competition.

To avoid any clashes, clubs taking part in the Champions League or Europa League will be kept apart in the third round. There are nine Premier League sides competing in Europe this season, with eight of those in the Champions League and Europa League – a significant number of the Carabao Cup's competitors.

In order to make it viable and ensure the ties don’t clash, the EFL have decided that a pre-draw will be conducted before Grimsby vs United. That will decide whether the eight sides involved in the Champions League or Europa League will be drawn at home or away. Those sides are Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. They will be drawn against eight teams who are not competing in Europe, before the other eight ties will be drawn in the normal fashion.

I don't really see how them being kept apart 'prevents' clashes. Just wait for the European Fixtures to be released on Friday and schedule accordingly.

[North Cardiff Blue]

Re: 3rd Round Opponents ?

We are one of the lower league teams

Still, we are on form and not many Championship teams would like to get us in the draw!

[Jimmy_Tango]

Re: 3rd Round Opponents ?

Not really. Here's an explanation:

The draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday night – but organisers have been forced to do it in two stages. Cambridge, Port Vale and Bradford are among the clubs in the draw after taking scalps from higher leagues on Tuesday night. They are three of the 32 sides who will play third round fixtures on the weeks beginning September 15 and September 22.

There are still four second round ties to take care of on Wednesday night, with Grimsby hosting Manchester United the pick of the games. But it isn’t the fact that the previous round isn’t complete that complicates the draw. Instead it is the Champions League and Europa League that has forced the EFL to alter the way they will conduct the draw. The Carabao Cup schedule overlaps with those of UEFA’s top two club competitions and they take precedence over the domestic cup competition.

To avoid any clashes, clubs taking part in the Champions League or Europa League will be kept apart in the third round. There are nine Premier League sides competing in Europe this season, with eight of those in the Champions League and Europa League – a significant number of the Carabao Cup's competitors.

In order to make it viable and ensure the ties don’t clash, the EFL have decided that a pre-draw will be conducted before Grimsby vs United. That will decide whether the eight sides involved in the Champions League or Europa League will be drawn at home or away. Those sides are Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. They will be drawn against eight teams who are not competing in Europe, before the other eight ties will be drawn in the normal fashion.

Thanks for the explanation, makes a lot more sense

[The Lone Gunman]

Re: 3rd Round Opponents ?

I don't really see how them being kept apart 'prevents' clashes. Just wait for the European Fixtures to be released on Friday and schedule accordingly.

If a team that has qualified for the Champions League had been drawn against a team that has qualified for the Europa League, it wouldn't have been possible to play that game within the midweeks allocated in September for the EFL Cup because of clashes with their European fixtures. Even with the draw being made the way it was, the EFL Cup games will be split between two midweeks because of the European fixtures.

I've said it may times before - there is simply too much football these days, especially for any side that has qualified for Europe. The continual expansion of the European competitions means there's less time to play domestic cup games. Under the circumstances, I think the EFL/PL have done well to find a compromise, and I actually thought the draw was pretty smooth.

[The Lone Gunman]

Re: 3rd Round Opponents ?

Thanks for the explanation, makes a lot more sense

No worries, that came from one of the dailies (can't remember which).