Liverpool will open their defence of the Carabao Cup with the visit of West Ham to Anfield; League Two sides AFC Wimbledon and Barrow draw Newcastle and Chelsea respectively; fixtures will take place over weeks commencing September 16 and September 23
Thursday 29 August 2024 08:49, UK
Liverpool will begin their defence of the Carabao Cup with the visit of West Ham to Anfield next month.
Due to the expansions of the Champions League and Europa League from the 2024/25 season, two bowls were used in the draw to ensure there are no fixture clashes for third-round dates and European fixtures.
Bowl One contained teams who reached the UCL and EL last season - Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United - and Bowl Two contained the other 26 teams - meaning the European teams cannot face each other.
The six teams were drawn first to determine if they would play home or away for the third round - and then slotted into six different ties - before the remaining 10 ties were drawn.
Man City welcome Tom Cleverley's high-flying Watford to the Etihad, while Arsenal face Bolton for the first time since 2012 and Manchester United take on Barnsley for the first time in 15 years.
Aston Villa and Tottenham face trips to League One Wycombe and Coventry of the Championship respectively.
Arguably the picks of the bunch are the ties pitting League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Barrow against Newcastle and Chelsea respectively.
Round three fixtures will take place during the weeks commencing September 16 and September 23.
Liverpool vs West Ham
Man City vs Watford
Arsenal vs Bolton
Manchester United vs Barnsley
Wycombe vs Aston Villa
Coventry vs Tottenham
Walsall vs Leicester
Brentford vs Leyton Orient
Blackpool vs Sheffield Wednesday
Preston vs Fulham
Everton vs Southampton
QPR vs Crystal Palace
Stoke vs Fleetwood
Brighton vs Wolves
AFC Wimbledon vs Newcastle
Chelsea vs Barrow
Round four: w/c October 28
Quarter-final: w/c December 16
Semi-final: w/c January 6 2025 (first leg) & w/c February 3 2025 (second leg)
Final: Sunday March 16 2025
