Report: Arsenal and Tottenham to Avoid Clash in Carabao Cup | OneFootball

Carabao Cup Draw Explained: Arsenal and Tottenham Avoid Clash, Chelsea Miss Out on New Format

The Carabao Cup has introduced a new twist for its third-round draw, with Arsenal and Tottenham among the teams that will be kept apart due to the demands of European football. The expansion of the Champions League and Europa League has led to an increase in the number of games, which in turn has influenced the scheduling and format of this domestic competition.

New Format Keeps Arsenal and Tottenham Apart

In a move that will impact several top clubs, Arsenal and Tottenham will be separated in the third-round draw of the Carabao Cup. This decision stems from the expanded European fixtures, which now include two extra games in both the Champions League and Europa League. Arsenal, along with Tottenham, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United, will all have their third-round Carabao Cup matches rescheduled to avoid a clash with their European commitments.

Photo: IMAGO

The week commencing 16th September is a particularly congested period, with Arsenal, Villa, Liverpool, and Manchester City set to be involved in Champions League action. The following week, Manchester United and Tottenham will begin their Europa League campaigns. To mitigate the fixture pile-up, the Carabao Cup organisers have introduced a condition in the third-round draw to ensure that clubs competing in these European tournaments do not face each other.

Chelsea’s Exclusion from the New Format

Interestingly, while Chelsea are also competing in Europe this season, they are excluded from the new format. The Blues are involved in the UEFA Conference League, a competition that doesn’t begin until October. This means Chelsea’s Carabao Cup fixtures do not need to be rescheduled, and the club will not be placed in the protected group for the third-round draw.

Photo: IMAGO

As a result, Chelsea will be in Bowl 2 for the draw, alongside the 25 winners from this week’s second-round matches. In contrast, the six Premier League sides competing in the Champions League and Europa League this season—Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa—will be in Bowl 1.

How the Carabao Cup Draw Will Work

The draw for the Carabao Cup third round will take place on Wednesday night, following Nottingham Forest’s match against Newcastle United. Before the main draw, a pre-draw will be conducted to determine the home and away positions for the six clubs in Bowl 1. This process ensures that the scheduling of fixtures aligns with the clubs’ European commitments.

Once the pre-draw is completed, the main draw will follow. The first six ties will be drawn by alternating between one club from Bowl 1 and one side from Bowl 2. After these initial six ties, the remaining ten matches will be drawn from Bowl 2 only. This year, the draw is no longer divided into northern and southern sections, adding another layer of unpredictability to the competition.

What This Means for the Carabao Cup

The changes to the Carabao Cup draw highlight the growing influence of European football on domestic competitions. For clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham, managing the demands of both domestic and European fixtures is crucial. Meanwhile, Chelsea, although still in Europe, will navigate a slightly different path due to their involvement in the Conference League. As the competition progresses, it will be fascinating to see how these scheduling changes affect the teams’ performances in both the Carabao Cup and their respective European campaigns.