THE first round draw for the Carabao Cup is taking place RIGHT NOW as fans gear up for the return of club football.
No Premier League clubs will enter the hat at the opening stage as top-flight sides are granted a bye to at least the second round of the competition.
The first and second rounds of the tournament will be regionalised, meaning the 32 teams in the southern section and 38 teams in the northern section will be drawn against another side from the same region.
What about Prem clubs?
Luton Town and Burnley, who finished 18th and 19th in last season’s Premier League respectively, will enter the Carabao Cup in the second round.
The same goes for the 13 current Prem teams not involved in European competitions.
Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United will enter the competition from the third round.
Carabao Cup dates
Here are all the key dates for this season’s Carabao Cup:
- Round 1: August 14
- Round 2: August 28
- Round 3: September 18 and September 25
- Round 4: October 30
- Round 5: December 18
- Semi-final first leg: January 8
- Semi-final second leg: February 5
- Final: March 16
First round dates
The Carabao Cup’s first-round fixtures will all take place in the week of August 14.
There will be no replays and if the games are level after 90 minutes, they will go to penalties.
Carabao Cup draw
Here are all the Southern fixtures:
- Cambridge United vs Queens Park Rangers
- Walsall vs Exeter
- Crawley vs Swindon
- Oxford United vs Peterborough
- Norwich vs Stevenage
- Bromley vs AFC Wimbledon
- Portsmouth vs Millwall
- Northampton vs Wycombe
- Bristol City vs Coventry
- Cardiff vs Bristol Rovers
- Charlton vs Birmingham
- Watford vs MK Dons
- Swansea vs Gillingham
- Plymouth vs Cheltenham
- Leyton Orient vs Newport
- Colchester vs Reading
Carabao Cup draw
Here are all the Northern fixtures:
- Salford vs Doncaster
- Rotherham vs Crewe
- Carlisle vs Stoke
- Leeds vs Middlesbrough
- Barrow vs Port Vale
- Burton vs Blackpool
- Tranmere vs Accrington
- Fleetwood vs West Brom
- Shrewsbury vs Notts County
- Lincoln vs Harrogate
- Derby vs Chesterfield
- Bolton vs Mansfield
- Preston vs Sunderland
- Sheffield United vs Wrexham
- Huddersfield vs Morecambe
- Wigan vs Barnsley
- Hull vs Sheffield Wednesday
- Stockport vs Blackburn
- Grimsby vs Bradford
Carabao Cup draw
That concludes the first-round draw for the Carabao Cup.
Some tasty fixtures, such as Sheffield United vs Wrexham and Leeds vs Middlesbrough…
Grimsby vs Bradford
Stockport vs Blackburn
Hull City vs Sheffield Wednesday
Wigan vs Barnsley
Huddersfield vs Morecombe
Sheffield United vs Wrexham
Preston vs Sunderland
Bolton vs Mansfield
Derby County vs Chesterfield
Lincoln vs Harrogate
Shrewsbury vs Notts County
Fleetwood vs West Brom
Tranmere vs Accrington Stanley
Burton Albion vs Blackpool
Barrow vs Port Vale
Leeds vs Middlesbrough
Carlisle vs Stoke
Rotherham vs Crewe
Salford vs Doncaster
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
