The English League Cup returns with its swanky new sponsor, Carabao, as the big guns from the Premier League join the race for the first piece of silverware on offer this season.
Selected Carabao Cup Third Round fixtures:
Tuesday, September 19th
Leicester City vs Liverpool
Bournemouth vs Brighton
Burnley vs Leeds United
Crystal Palace vs Huddersfield
Wednesday, September 20th
Everton vs Sunderland
Arsenal vs Doncaster
Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest
West Brom vs Man City
Man United vs Burton
Leicester City vs Liverpool
Craig Shakespeare will be relishing the prospect of facing Liverpool at the King Power Stadium once again. In just his first game in charge of the Foxes, in February, they overturned Jurgen Klopp’s men in fine fashion as a brace from Jamie Vardy in a 3-1 win turned back the clock to the feel-good days of their unlikely title victory the season before. Normality has been somewhat restored in 2017/18 ahead of their league meeting in just five days, and while Liverpool may have a more realistic shot at the title than Leicester, both teams will be looking to the Carabao Cup to kick-start their seasons. Liverpool are targeting their second final in three seasons in the competition while Leicester will be hoping to reach their first cup final since they won the League Cup back in 2000.
Bournemouth vs Brighton
Bournemouth welcome South-coast neighbours Brighton back to the Vitality Stadium just three days after their very first Premier League meeting. Jermaine Defoe and Andrew Surman netted for the Cherries as they picked up their first points of the season. The pair exchanged home victories over each other in the FA Cup in the 80’s and 90’s, however this will be the first League Cup clash between the two. Brighton’s last win over Bournemouth came back on New Year’s Day in 2008 when both teams were languishing in League One – a winless run that has now stretched seven games across three divisions for the Seagulls, drawing three and losing four.
Burnley vs Leeds United
Burnley will have new summer signing Chris Wood available to face his former side at Turf Moor on Tuesday evening. He has had a scintillating start to life with the Clarets scoring twice in his first three games as Burnley sit seventh in the early Premier League table. They have won five of their last seven league games against Leeds United, all coming in the Championship dating back to January 2012. There has only been one draw in fact, in the last 12 games between the two, with every other game being settled by just one goal – Burnley winning five, Leeds with six. The former giants, Leeds United, have not appeared in a cup final since defeat to Aston Villa in this competition in 1996 and will hope to use this as a potential spring-board to further success.
Crystal Palace vs Huddersfield
The Eagles only goals and only victory so far this season remains in the Carabao Cup, when they beat Ipswich Town 2-1 in the second round. That win was not enough to save manager Frank de Boer from the early sack and he has now been replaced at the helm by former England boss Roy Hodgson, who saw his side lose 1-0 at home to Southampton in the Premier League in his first game in charge of Crystal Palace. He will have it all to do when he takes charge of his second game. Huddersfield won this fixture 3-0 on opening day, when new signing Steve Mounie scored twice for the Terriers. He will not feature on Tuesday, however, as he struggles for fitness following injury.