Liverpool will begin their Carabao Cup defence with a home match against West Ham at Anfield next month. Due to changes in the Champions League and Europa League schedules for the 2024/25 season, the Carabao Cup draw was done using two separate bowls. The first bowl contained teams that participated in European competitions last season, like Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham, and Manchester United. The second bowl included the remaining 26 teams to avoid fixture clashes between European matches and Carabao Cup games.
In the draw, the six European teams were picked first to determine if they would play at home or away in the third round, and then they were paired with different opponents. After that, the other 10 ties were drawn. This means Man City will host Watford, Arsenal will play Bolton, and Manchester United will face Barnsley. Meanwhile, Aston Villa will travel to Wycombe, and Tottenham will visit Coventry.
Some interesting matchups include League Two teams AFC Wimbledon and Barrow, who will face Premier League sides Newcastle and Chelsea, respectively. The third-round matches are scheduled to take place during the weeks of September 16 and September 23.
Carabao Cup third-round draw in full
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
