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      Carabao Cup third-round draw simulated with Man Utd landing horror draw but Arsenal getting easy ride

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      ARSENAL have been predicted to get an easy ride in the Carabao Cup draw.The Gunners and the other teams from the Champions League and Europa League will enter the draw in the tournament tonight.The third round draw of the Carabao Cup has been simulatedCredit: GettyArsenal could have an easy tie against WalsallCredit: GettyMan United could have a nightmare trip back to BrightonCredit: AFPThe Seagulls smashed Crawley Town 4-0 to reach the third roundCredit: GettyClubs that compete in European competitions get a bye until the third-round draws in the League Cup.This means that the likes of Aston Villa, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Chelsea will find out their first opponents.However, they will not be able to face each other just yet in the tournament due to new rules implemented by the EFL.The major change has been made in order to help with the European club’s fixture congestion.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe draw will be made with two bags, the first bag will include the European sides while the second will have the remaining clubs.A simulation of the draw has taken place and has sprung up some interesting ties to excite fans.Mikel Arteta’s side have been predicted to face League Two outfit at the Emirates Stadium.The Gunners’ last game against the West Midlands side came in 1983, when they actually lost 2-1 in the FA Cup.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSManchester United however have been picked for a horror tie against Brighton and Hove Albion.The Red Devils have already played against the Seagulls in the Premier League this season and lost 2-1 after a late goal from Joao Pedro.The Sun’s Shaun Custis and Martin Lipton break down the new changes for the UEFA Champions League format for 2024/25Simulated Carabao Cup drawHere is what the simulated draw of the Carabao Cup has thrown up…Arsenal vs WalsallQPR vs Aston VillaLiverpool vs Wolves or BurnleyBrighton and Hove Albion vs Manchester UnitedTottenham vs Coventry CityChelsea vs Nottingham Forest or NewcastleStoke City vs BarnsleyEverton vs BarrowSheffield Wednesday vs Bolton WanderersWest Ham or Bournemouth vs Leyton OrientFleetwood vs Wimbledon or Ipswich TownFulham vs Crystal PalaceCardiff City or Southampton vs Swansea City or Wycombe WanderersColchester or Brentford vs WatfordLeicester City vs Preston North EndAnother potential exciting tie could happen at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea could host either Nottingham Forest or Newcastle.The official draw will take place after the clash at the City Ground tonight after the match between the two Premier League sides.West Ham could have an enticing fixture against East London rivals Leyton Orient if they beat Bournemouth at the London Stadium.The League One strugglers made it through to the third round thanks to a shock win against Championship side Millwall at the Den.There could be another all Premier League clash between Fulham and Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage.The Eagles impressed in their 4-0 demolition of Norwich City, while Marco Silva’s side beat Birmingham City 2-0.READ MORE SUN STORIESThere could also be a repeat of the 1987 FA Cup final as Tottenham have been simulated to face Coventry City.Spurs last faced the Sky Blues in 2013 in the FA Cup and ran out 3-0 winners with Clint Dempsey netting a brace and Gareth Bale also on the scoresheet.Crystal Palace thumped Norwich City 4-0 in the second roundCredit: GettyIliman Ndiaye scored his first goal for Everton to knockout DoncasterCredit: GettyWho are these famous footballers? More

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      Champions League simulated with Arsenal landing horror fixtures in new league format

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      THIS week’s eagerly-anticipated Champions League draw has been simulated – and the results make for bad reading for Arsenal fans.The 2024/25 instalment of Europe’s elite club competition will be the inaugural outing of the tournament’s new format.The draw for the Champions League takes place on Thursday eveningCredit: GettyArsenal will bid to go further than the quarter-finals this seasonCredit: SUNDAY TIMESA simulation of the draw has given the Gunners a Group of DeathCredit: AFPThe well-known 32-team competition format, which has been in place since 1967, is now a thing of the past.It’s been replaced by a new setup including 36 of Europe’s best clubs – but they won’t be competing in the traditional group stage.The 36 teams will compete in a SINGLE league format in which they’ll play eight fixtures.In the new setup, each team will play four matches at home and four games away.READ MORE ON UCLTeams will be ranked in four seeding pots and will play two opponents from each of the pots.The top eight teams will automatically secure qualification for the last 16, while the ninth to 24th-placed sides will take part in a two-legged playoff.Teams who finished in 25th place and below will be eliminated from the tournament and WON’T drop into the Europa League.The draw for this season’s tournament takes place in Monaco on Thursday afternoon.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSAnd a simulation of the draw has given Arsenal the proverbial ‘Group of Death’.A super-computer has drawn the Gunners – who are in Pot 2 in the draw – against European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.Champions League releases new anthem as fuming fans say ‘the beautiful game has died’Paris Saint-Germain Juventus, Sporting Lison and PSV Eindhoven make up the North Londoners’ opponents from Pot 2 and Pot 3.It’s been predicted that they’ll then face the winner of this week’s FC Midtjylland qualification clash with Slovan Bratislava.Arsenal reached the quarter-finals of last season’s Champions League following a five-year absence from the competition.Mikel Arteta’s troops were dumped out of the competition by Bayern, losing 3-2 on aggregate to the Bundesliga big boys. More

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      How much each Premier League club will earn from Europe without even kicking a ball with Chelsea set for paltry payment

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      PREMIER LEAGUE clubs are set to earn a pretty penny from Uefa before they even kick a ball in Europe this season.Seven English clubs will be competing across the three Uefa club competitions, which have undergone a radical format change.The format in Uefa competition will see Premier League clubs earn some cool prize money without kicking a ballCredit: AFPPep Guardiola’s Manchester City are in line to earn the mostCredit: RexArsenal will earn a lovely windfall before kicking a ballCredit: GettyChelsea will earn only a comparatively small figure after being bumped down in the Conference League by Man Utd’s FA Cup successCredit: RexThis new set-up puts them in a Swiss-style league system, instead of the previously adopted eight groups of four with the top two progressing.Now, each club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams overall play opponents of similar difficulty.The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over ten midweek slots.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBut how much will each team earn from the new Uefa package?Kicking us off are Premier League champions Manchester City.Pep Guardiola is hoping to land a second European title with the club this season.Winning every match in the Champions League alone could see them earn somewhere in the region of £140million-£145m.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSBut before a ball has even been kicked they are in line to receive £53m from the new package.Liverpool will earn at least £51m from the deal, Arsenal about £46m and Aston Villa give or take around £33m.SunSport’s Latest Transfer HeadlinesBy comparison, the Europa League offers a far less bountiful starting prize pool.Tottenham, who qualified for the competition through a fifth-place league finish, will earn £12m.This figure is the same as what Manchester United, who qualified through winning the FA Cup, will also receive.Meanwhile, Chelsea – who were knocked out of the Europa League and into the Europa Conference League because of United’s FA Cup triumph – are in line to earn just £5m.The new automated Champions League league phase draw is due to take place at 5pm on Thursday evening at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, Monaco.The Europa League and Conference League draws are then due to take place the following day at 12pm and 1.30pm respectively.New Champions League formatEach club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season.The pots for the Champions League are as follows:Pot 1:Real MadridBayern MunichParis Saint-GermainInter MilanBorussia DortmundRB LeipzigBarcelonaManchester CityLiverpoolPot 2:Bayer LeverkusenAtletico MadridAtalantaJuventusBenficaClub BruggeShakhtar DonetskAC MilanArsenalPot 3:FeyenoordSporting CPPSV EindhovenCelticWinner of Young Boys v Galatasaray play-offWinner of Dinamo Zagreb v Qarabag play-offWinner of Lille v Slavia Prague play-offTBD (see below)TBD (see below)Pot 4MonacoAston VillaBolognaGironaVfB StuttgartSturm GrazBrestWinner of Malma v Sparta Prague play-offTBD (see below)Who will fill the TBD spots?The spots that you can not accurately predict come down to three play-off games – here are the matches in question:READ MORE SUN STORIESMidtjylland v Slovan BratislavaBodo/Glimt v Red Star BelgradeDynamo Kyiv v Red Bull SalzburgThe qualifying side with the lowest coefficient will go into Pot 4, with the others going into Pot 3. More

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      Who could Arsenal get in the Champions League draw?

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      ARSENAL enjoyed a magnificent season under Mikel Arteta last term, finishing runner-up to Manchester City in the Premier League.The Gunners’ second-place finish earned them a spot in the Champions League this campaign.The Champions League draw will take place on WednesdayCredit: GETTYArsenal will be aiming to improve on last season’s quarter-final run as Mikel Arteta looks to lead the North London outfit to the club’s first Champions League title.This campaign, the Gunners will be a part of the brand new Champions League league phase, which has replaced the traditional group stage.SunSport takes a look at the new style and who Arsenal could face…What is the new Champions League format?Each club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season.Most read in Champions LeagueWho could Arsenal get in the Champions League?Arsenal are in Pot 2 due to the Gunners’ Uefa coefficient ranking.Mikel Arteta’s men will play eight matches against two teams from each of the four pots during the league phase, playing one match from each pot at home and one away.Teams in the league phase cannot be drawn against clubs from the same nation, meaning the Gunners will avoid Man City, Liverpool and Aston Villa.Arsenal also can be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same country.Here are the clubs the Gunners could draw from each of the four pots:Pot 1:Real MadridBayern MunichParis Saint-GermainInter MilanBorussia DortmundRB LeipzigBarcelonaPot 2:Bayer LeverkusenAtletico MadridAtalantaJuventusBenficaClub BruggeShakhtar DonetskAC MilanPot 3:FeyenoordSporting CPPSV EindhovenCelticWinner of Young Boys v Galatasaray play-offWinner of Dinamo Zagreb v Qarabag play-offWinner of Lille v Slavia Prague play-offTBD (see below)TBD (see below)Pot 4MonacoBolognaGironaVfB StuttgartSturm GrazBrestWinner of Malma v Sparta Prague play-offTBD (see below)Who will fill the TBD spots?The spots that you can not accurately predict come down to three play-off games – here are the matches in question:Midtjylland v Slovan BratislavaBodo/Glimt v Red Star BelgradeDynamo Kyiv v Red Bull SalzburgThe qualifying side with the lowest coefficient will go into Pot 4, with the others going into Pot 3.When is the 2024/25 Champions League draw?The 2024/25 Champions League draw will take place on Thursday, August 29.The draw will begin at 5pm BST at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, Monaco.An automated system will now randomly select eight opponents for each team from four pots and allocate which teams play at home and away.What TV channel is the 2024/25 Champions League draw on and can it be live streamed?The 2024/25 Champions League draw will be broadcast LIVE on TNT Sports in the UK.Subscription members of TNT can stream the entire action through Discovery+READ MORE SUN STORIESAmazon have purchased UEFA rights in the UK for the first time so the draw will also be available on Amazon Prime Video.Alternatively, fans can find out who their teams will be drawn with through our live blog. More

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      Champions League draw 2024/25: Date, stream FREE, TV channel and pots for NEW league phase format

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      THERE’S nothing quite like a Champions League draw to put football fans on the edge of their seats – and the 2024/25 edition will be historic.Jude Bellingham’s dream debut season at Real Madrid ended in glory as Los Blancos beat Borussia Dortmund in last season’s Champions League final.Jude Bellingham helped Real Madrid win the Champions League in his first seasonCredit: GettyAnd the most decorated team in the competition will be tipped to win it again having added French phenomenon Kylian Mbappe to an incredible attacking force.However, Madrid have a lot more work to do to get to that stage due to the huge Champions League format changes.But first up is the league phase draw, and SunSport have all the information on when it will take place.Find out about the Champions League 2024/25 league phase draw below.Read more on Champions LeagueWhen is the Champions League draw 2024/25?The 2024/25 Champions League draw will take place on Thursday, August 29.The draw will begin at 5pm BST at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, Monaco.An automated system will now randomly select eight opponents for each team from four pots and allocate which teams play at home and away.This is due to the new league phase format.Most read in Champions LeagueWhat TV channel is Champions League draw 2024/25 on and can it be live streamed?The 2024/25 Champions League draw will be broadcast LIVE on TNT Sports in the UK.Subscription members of TNT can stream the entire action through Discovery+Amazon have purchased UEFA rights in the UK for the first time so the draw will also be available on Amazon Prime Video.Alternatively, fans can find out who their teams will be drawn with through our live blog.Can I watch the Champions League draw 2024/25 for FREE?The Champions League draw is will be broadcast for FREE on UEFA.comWhat is the new Champions League format?Each club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.Clubs will only face other sides based on the pot they have been drawn out of and teams cannot face more than two opponents from the same country or from the same association.The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.Teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated from all European competition’s this season – meaning that they will not drop into the Europa League similar to previous years.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season.What are the Champions League draw 2024/25 pots?Pot 1: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, BarcelonaPot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, MilanPot 3: Feyenoord, Sporting CP, PSV Eindhoven, CelticPot 4: Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, VfB Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, BrestREAD MORE SUN STORIESWhat are the Champions League 2024/25 fixture dates?Below is the full schedule for the 2024/25 Champions League:Matchday 1: September 17-19, 2024Matchday 2: October 1/2, 2024Matchday 3: October 22/23, 2024Matchday 4: November 5/6, 2024Matchday 5: November 26/27, 2024Matchday 6: December 10/11, 2024Matchday 7: January 21/22, 2025Matchday 8: January 29, 2025Knockout round play-offs: February 11/12 and February 18/19, 2025Round of 16: March 4/5 and March 11/12, 2025Quarter-finals: April 8/9 and April 15/16, 2025Semi-finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025Final: May 31, 2025 More

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      Supercomputer predicts final Premier League table as Chelsea shoot up SEVEN PLACES but awful news for Man Utd

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      A SUPERCOMPUTER has predicted the final Premier League table following Chelsea’s rampant 6-2 win at Wolves.But it’s awful news for Manchester United after they suffered a stoppage time 2-1 defeat to bogey team Brighton.Chelsea have shot up SEVEN places in the power rankings after Noni Madueke’s hat-trick inspired performanceCredit: GettyBut United were again beaten by Brighton during their second GameweekCredit: AFPThe Opta analyst’s power rankings are a global team ranking system which assigns an ability score to nearly 13,500 domestic football teams.Chelsea’s dominant victory saw them climb a shocking SEVEN places with a new world rating of 90.4.This means the AI boffins have them tipped to finish fourth, with the club currently sitting eighth after two games.Chelsea shrugged off their season opening defeat to Manchester City to award fans with a stunning second-half performance at the Molineux.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSAnd their form could be set to continue as they face Crystal Palace, who have lost two-in-two, Bournemouth and West Ham in their next three games.But it’s nasty news for those at Old Trafford as the club dropped four places in the rankings with a rating of 88.9.Their last-gasp defeat to the Seagulls at the Amex left the AI convinced they will come seventh come May with 57 points.Erik ten Hag – who remained at United despite calls for him to be sacked – wanted to push on after winning the FA Cup after the club finished eighth, their lowest-ever finish in the Prem.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThe supercomputer has United finishing below Newcastle and Spurs in fifth and sixth.The Toon enjoy a 89.7 rating, while Spurs are marginally lower at 89.2.Chelsea release new pink and black ‘punk-inspired’ third kit for 2024-25… but fans all reckon ‘Nike tick is drunk’However, the algorithm claims Champions League qualifiers Aston Villa will plummet before eventually finishing behind Ten Hag.Villa fell to a 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal on Saturday, who are predicted to miss out on the title for the third successive season.The result moved Unai Emery’s side down two places.Manchester City’s 100.0 rating remains intact, as Pep Guardiola stays top after their 4-1 thrashing of newly-promoted Ipswich.At the other end of the table, Southampton dropped seven places to finish bottom after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.While Ipswich and Leicester make up the other relegation places.Chelsea ratings vs Wolves: Madueke and Palmer on fire as Blues run riot… but Mudryk has shockerNONI MADUEKE bagged himself a second-half hat-trick courtesy of Cole Palmer as Chelsea fired to a 6-2 victory away at Wolves.Palmer’s three assists and first half strike capped off a wonderful afternoon for the England ace and a game that at times resembled a basketball match.Here’s how SunSports’ Katherine Walsh rated the Blues stars…Robert Sanchez – 7/10Solid display. Held firm and kept Wolves at bay in the first half.Brilliant long ball distribution cross-pitch to Jackson who assisted Palmer’s goal and Chelsea’s second.Malo Gusto – 5Out of position for Matheus Cunha’s 26th minute equaliser and didn’t get forward enough.Failed to have an influence on the game after a quieter second 45 minutes from Wolves.Wesley Fofana – 6Had his back to goal for Wolves’ second equaliser before half-time.The ball had been guided in by a free-kick and Jorgen Strand-Larsen cleverly guided it home with his right foot.Levi Colwill – 6Not a particularly noticeable performance from the 21-year-old in a positive or negative sense.Suppose it was a solid showing but was also caught ball watching for Cunha’s goal.Pulled Cucurella away from the third brawl of the match.Marc Cucurella – 6Worked hard and found himself centre of multiple fights with Wolves players throughout the 90.Solid as ever, needing to be alert with Wolves lethal in the first half.Moises Caicedo – 6Quiet afternoon for the midfielder. Didn’t do much right or wrong.Enzo Fernandez – 7Often in the right place at the right time after clearing two Wolves’ attempts from inside the box.Battled to win the ball for Madueke’s third goal and frequently recovered possession for the visitors.Cole Palmer – 9A brilliant goal and THREE assists finished off a sensational performance from the No10 position.Somehow managed to outshine hat-trick scorer Madueke after providing all of his goals. His own notch came against the run of play just after receiving a yellow.Picked up the ball 20 yards from goal after a long Sanchez kick and lobbed Wolves keeper Jose Sa just when the visitors were hanging on.Mykhailo Mudryk – 4Enzo Marseca said he needed time and coaching to get his Chelsea career on track. But failed to make an impact against Wolves.Didn’t notice him being shipped off at half-time for former Wolves star Pedro Neto.Noni Madueke – 9The star man scored THREE in the second half after bagging against Servette on Thursday.Chelsea’s best player in the first half. The young winger has bundles of ability and energy.Looked lively and won several free-kicks in promising positions.Worth a note that he silenced the home fans who were heavily booing him throughout after his social media comments earlier today.Nicolas Jackson – 8Opened the scoring with a post header inside two minutes.But let himself down with silly antics while arguing with Cunha twice.Most non-penalty goals for Chelsea in the Premier League since the start of last season: 15.And assisted Palmer’s brilliant goal and Chelsea’s second.SUBSPedro Neto 7Put a shift in after coming on at half-time on his first return to the Molineux.Bagged himself an assist in the 80th minute.Joao Felix – 7Scored on his Chelsea 2023/24 debut after joining from Atletico Madrid for £42.6m.Combined with other new signing Neto for the goal.Christopher Nkunku – N/ARenato Veiga – N/AKiernan Dewsbury-Hall – N/A More

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      When is Carabao Cup third round draw? Date, start time, live stream FREE, TV channel, bowls and ball numbers

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      THE CARABAO Cup is rolling on into the third round – and the Premier League big boys join the party.And from this season the third round draw has been hit with an almighty change because of the new Champions League format.Liverpool are the Carabao Cup holdersCredit: GettyThe Carabao Cup third round will be played across two midweeks this term (w/c 16 Sept and w/c 23 Sept) due to the new European schedule.Carabao Cup third round rule changesThe draw will consist of 32 clubs – 25 winners from the second round with the seven Premier League clubs in European competitions also entering in this round.For the main draw, this season TWO separate bowls will be used for picking the balls:Bowl 1 – the six Champions League and Europa League clubsBowl 2 – the remaining 26 clubsA pre-draw will take place before Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle United on Wednesday 28 August to determine the home/away positioning of the six clubs in bowl 1 for the first six ties of the main draw.Then in the main draw, which takes place after the match at the City Ground, the first six ties will be drawn by switching between one club from Bowl 1 and one club from Bowl 2, with the home/away positioning of the clubs from Bowl 1 already pre-determined in the pre-draw.The remaining ten ties will then be drawn from teams in Bowl 2 only to complete the draw with Bowl 1 sides already picked.And from this round of the competition, the draw is no longer split into northern and southern sections.Most read in FootballWhen is the Carabao Cup third round draw?The Carabao Cup main draw takes place on Wednesday, August 28 following the conclusion of Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle, expected at around 10.15pm BST.There will be a pre-draw first to determine the home/away positioning of the clubs in the Champions League and the Europa League.Mark Chapman will host the draws.How can I watch the Carabao Cup third round draw?The Carabao Cup third round draw will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football following Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle.The draw is also expected to be live streamed for FREE on Sky Sports’ Football’s YouTube channel, as have the first and second round draws this season.Premier League sides in Europe such as Man City now enter the drawCredit: EPAWhat are the ball numbers?Ball numbers will be announced on Wednesday morning.What are the Carabao Cup second round fixtures?Northern SectionGrimsby vs Sheffield WednesdayEverton vs DoncasterBlackburn vs BlackpoolFleetwood vs RotherhamShrewsbury vs BoltonNottingham Forest vs NewcastleBarrow vs DerbyLeicester vs TranmereMiddlesbrough vs StokeBarnsley vs Sheffield UnitedHarrogate vs PrestonWalsall vs HuddersfieldWolves vs BurnleySouthern SectionCoventry vs Oxford UnitedSwansea vs WycombeAFC Wimbledon vs IpswichBirmingham vs FulhamWatford vs PlymouthWest Ham vs BournemouthQPR vs LutonBrighton vs CrawleyCrystal Palace vs NorwichCardiff vs SouthamptonREAD MORE SUN STORIESMillwall vs Leyton OrientColchester vs Brentford More

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      Carabao Cup third-round draw set for MAJOR change due to expanded new Champions League schedule

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      THE Carabao Cup third-round draw is set for a major change due to the Champions League.The round of the tournament will see clubs competing in European competition enter the draw.The draw for the third-round of the Carabao Cup will be changedCredit: GettyClubs in European competition will not be able to be drawn against each otherCredit: GettyLiverpool are the current holders of the Carabao CupCredit: GettyArsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester United Chelsea and Tottenham all received a bye into the third round due to their qualification into Europe.The next round will take place in September across two-midweek fixture dates.Due to this scheduling, they will clash with the fixtures in the Champions League and Europa League.However, the EFL has implemented a change to the draw to avoid congestion.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLThe conditions will mean that a club in the Champions League will not be drawn against a team in the Europa League.This means that their Carabao Cup matches will happen on the alternative week to their European obligations.The draw will feature two different bowls to make sure the teams can be drawn correctly.The first bowl will include the six clubs in the Champions League and Europa League.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSThe second bowl will then have the remaining 26 clubs left in the competition.There will be a pre-draw before Nottingham Forest’s second-round tie against Newcastle on August 28 to determine the home and away position of the Bowl One clubs.PREM RULE CHANGESNew Champions League formatEach club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season.The main draw will then be conducted after the match at the City Ground.The first six ties will be drawn by alternating between the bowls, with home and away already being determined. Once all the European teams have been drawn, the remainder of the draw will be taken from the second bowl.The ball numbers in the main draw will be announced on the morning of August 28.Liverpool are the current holders of the EFL Cup, having beaten Chelsea in the final at Wembley last term.The Champions League will feature a new format this season as each club will play a minimum of eight games compared to the previous six in the group stage.READ MORE SUN STORIESThis year’s tournament will have a bigger 24-club league table, with the top eight clubs automatically qualifying for the knockout stage.They will then be joined in the last 16 by eight play-off winners.Champions League potsHere are the pots for the Champions League this season…Pot 1: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, BarcelonaPot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, MilanPot 3: Feyenoord, Sporting CP, PSV Eindhoven, CelticPot 4: Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, VfB Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest More