The Carabao Cup gathers pace tonight when the third round ties are decided to complete the Premier League’s involvement in the competition.
So far the nine Premier League teams in Europe have sat out as the second round edges towards completion, but holders Manchester City, Arsenal, who lost to City in last season’s final, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton and Crystal Palace will all learn their third-round opponents tonight.
There is a pre-draw though, with those aforementioned teams set to be separated in order to avoid a clash in Uefa competitions.
While the draw will be completed before Chelsea face Luton and Fulham face AFC Wimbledon to conclude the second round.
Follow all the build-up and live updates from tonight’s ties below:
When is Carabao Cup third round draw?
The draw for the Carabao Cup third round will take place today, Wednesday 26 August. The main draw will follow the conclusion of the second round tie between Preston and Everton which kicks off at 8pm BST, meaning the draw could start at around 10.15pm BST.
There is a pre-draw before kick-off at Deepdale, which will determine whether the Premier League sides in Europe will be home or away.
Coverage starts at 7pm BST, meaning the pre-draw is likely to take place at around 7:30pm BST.
What teams are still in the Carabao Cup? Ball numbers for third round draw
1 AFC Bournemouth
3 Aston Villa
4 Crystal Palace
5 Manchester City
6 Manchester United
7 Liverpool
8 Sunderland
9 Barnsley
10 Brentford
11 Brighton & Hove Albion
12 Coventry City
13 Fleetwood Town
14 Hull City
15 Ipswich Town
16 Leeds United
17 Leyton Orient
18 Lincoln City
19 Middlesbrough
20 Millwall
21 Norwich City
22 Peterborough United
23 Reading
24 Sheffield United
25 West Ham United
26 Wolve rhampton Wanderers
27 Bradford City / Burnley
28 Newcastle United / West Bromwich Albion
29 Tottenham Hotspur / Charlton Athletic
30 Preston North End / Everton
31 Chelsea / Luton Town
32 Fulham / AFC Wimbledon
How will the Carabao Cup third round draw work?
Before the main draw, there is a pre-draw to decide if the eight Champions League and Europa League clubs will be at home or away. This part is before Preston North End’s Round Two tie against Everton on Sky Sports.
The main draw will take place following the conclusion of Round Two tie, the first eight ties will involve those Champions League and Europa League clubs. Their home or away position will have already having been decided. They will then be drawn against a team in a separate bowl with the remaining teams in the competition – so cannot meet one another at this stage.
Following the conclusion of those eight ties being drawn, the final eight ties will be drawn as normal.
From Round Three onwards, there is no longer a divide between the Northern and Southern sections.
Good evening!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Carabao Cup third round draw.
All of the second round ties are being played during this week with four more matches taking place tonight ahead of the draw for the third round.
Those Premier League sides who are participating in European competition will enter the tournament in this round including the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
We’ll take you through all the updates from tonight’s matches as well as the draw itself so stick with us for all the details you’ll need.
