The draw for the Carabao Cup third round takes place tonight as more teams from the Premier League, including current cup winners Manchester City, enter the competition and learn who they will face.
Most top-flight clubs, such as Chelsea and Tottenham, entered the tournament in the second round with those who are competing in European competitions this season now involved as well.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are among those to enter at this stage.
Their participation also means that the third round will be played across two midweeks in order for the teams involved in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League to juggle their match schedules.
Here’s everything you need to know about the draw:
The draw for the Carabao Cup third round will take place on Wednesday 26 August. It will follow the conclusion of the second round tie between Preston and Everton which kicks off at 8pm BST, meaning the draw could start at around 10.15pm BST.
Pre-draw
Before the main draw, there is a pre-draw to decide if the eight Champions League and Europa League Clubs will be at home or away. This part is before Preston North End’s Round Two tie against Everton on Sky Sports.
Main draw
The main draw will take place following the conclusion of Round Two tie, the first eight ties will involve those Champions League and Europa League Clubs. Their home or away position will have already having been decided. They will then be drawn against a team in a separate bowl with the remaining teams in the competition.
Following the conclusion of those eight ties being drawn, the final eight ties will be drawn as normal.
From Round Three onwards, there is no longer a divide between the Northern and Southern sections.
The Carabao Cup third-round draw will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football following the conclusion of Preston v Everton. The Independent understands a pre-draw show will happen before the game and the draw will take place after the final whistle.
Sky Sports subscribers will also be able to watch the draw live online via the Sky Go app.
32 teams are involved in the draw including 23 winners of second round ties and nine additional Premier League clubs who are also competing in European competitions this season.
Those teams in Europe and entering the competition for the first time this season are: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Sunderland.
Brighton & Hove Albion can also be in Europe through the UEFA Conference League, but that competition does not begin until October, so it does not affect the Round Three schedule.
Before the main draw, there will be a pre-draw to decide whether each of the eight Champions League and Europa League clubs will be at home or away. This will take place during the build-up to Preston vs Everton.
Organisers say this is to enable the Carabao Cup to proceed within its agreed schedule without disrupting other league or domestic cup fixtures amid a congested schedule for those in European competitions. It means that England’s eight European representatives cannot meet one another at this stage.
The ball numbers will be confirmed on this morning ahead of the draw.
Pre-drawn will be:
Arsenal
Manchester City
Manchester United
Aston Villa
Liverpool
Bournemouth
Sunderland
Brighton
To join 23 qualifiers from the second round:
Doncaster or Middlesbrough
Barnsley or Crewe
Blackburn or Sheffield United
Blackpool or Lincoln
Fleetwood Town or Shrewsbury
Sheffield Wednesday or Wolves
Stoke or Hull
Nottingham Forest or Leeds
Cardiff or Norwich
Cambridge or Millwall
Ipswich or Leicester
Plymouth or Coventry City
Southampton or West Ham
Stevenage or Reading
Walsall or Leyton Orient
Watford or Peterborough
Birmingham or Brentford
Bradford City or Burnley
Newcastle or West Brom
Preston or Everton
Tottenham or Charlton
Chelsea or Luton
Fulham or Wimbledon
The third round of the Carabao Cup is scheduled to take place across consecutive weeks, starting on 7 September and 14 September. The ties will be played midweek as single-leg fixtures with the winners progressing to the fourth round.
