This is shameful – Seeding introduced for usual suspects in Carabao Cup by subterfuge


 
 
 
 
 
 

This is astonishing, the Carabao Cup now seeing effectively seeding introduced for the usual Premier League suspects.

With it now announced that Liverpool, Man U, Man City, Spurs and Arsenal (and Aston Villa) can’t play each other in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

So not only are they allowed to miss round two, they now get what is likely to be effectively a bye in the third round as well.

As none of those six Premier League teams who finished top six last season, can play each other in the Carabao Cup third round.

If you get beyond round three, you only need to win two matches and you are into a two-legged semi-final.

If this was all straightforward, reasonable and above board, why they have waited until only days before the Carabao Cup third round is drawn before revealing this is the case???

Meanwhile, Newcastle United have to win away at Forest just to get into round three, when no doubt we will draw Man City, as was the case in both domestic cups last season!!!

EFL official announcement – 23 August 2024:

Carabao Cup: Round Three draw

Draw Conditions will be implemented for the Carabao Cup Round Three draw due to the scheduling of European competition fixtures over two exclusive midweeks in September.

Carabao Cup Round Three fixtures will take place W/C 16 & 23 September, with fixtures in the Champions League (W/C 16 September) and Europa League (W/C 23 September) also scheduled during this period. The additional dates required in the calendar for European competitions are as a result of an increased number of games for the 2024/25 season.

To ensure there is no clash of fixture dates, conditions will be implemented during the Round Three draw to ensure a Club participating in the Champions League does not draw a Club participating in the Europa League, to enable the Round Three fixtures to take place in the alternate week.

Draw Conditions

The Round Three draw consists of 32 Clubs – 25 winners from Round Two with the seven Premier League Clubs in UEFA competitions also entering in this round.

The UEFA Conference League, a competition Chelsea FC could be participating in, is due to begin in October and therefore has no impact on the Carabao Cup Round Three draw.

For the main draw, two separate bowls will be utilised:

Bowl 1 – consisting of the six UCL and UEL Clubs

Bowl 2 – consisting of the remaining 26 Clubs

A pre-draw will take place prior to Nottingham Forest’s Round Two fixture against Newcastle United on Wednesday 28 August, live on Sky Sports, to determine the Home/Away positioning of the six Clubs in Bowl 1 for the first six ties of the main draw.

The main draw will be conducted following the conclusion of the game at the City Ground – also live on Sky Sports. The first six ties will be drawn by alternating between one Club from Bowl 1 and one Club from Bowl 2, with the Home/Away positioning of the Club from Bowl 1 already pre-determined in the earlier draw.

Once the six Clubs from Bowl 1 have been drawn, the remaining ten ties will be drawn from Bowl 2 only. From this round of the competition, the draw is no longer split into northern and southern sections.

Sky Sports’ Carabao Cup presenter Mark Chapman will host the draws, with ball numbers for the main draw announced on the morning of Wednesday 28 August.’