Carabao Cup Second Round Fixtures
The draw for the Carabao Cup second round has set up several notable matches, with Chelsea scheduled to welcome League One side Luton to Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, Tottenham will host Championship team Charlton. Both fixtures are part of the southern section of the draw.
In other key matchups, four-time winners Nottingham Forest are set to play Leeds in the only all-Premier League tie of this round. Newcastle will compete against West Brom, and Fulham is drawn against AFC Wimbledon at Craven Cottage. Brentford faces an away trip to Birmingham City, while Ipswich will play League One Leicester.
The draw was divided into northern and southern sections. All second-round matches are scheduled to take place during the midweek of the week commencing Monday, 24 August. The nine English clubs participating in European competitions this season will join the Carabao Cup in the third round.
Impact of Fixture Congestion
A scheduling conflict has emerged involving Fulham and Chelsea due to a Premier League broadcast selection. Sky Sports chose to broadcast the Fulham versus Chelsea league match on Monday, 24 August. As neither team is involved in European competition, they both enter the Carabao Cup in the second round, creating the potential for two matches in the same midweek period.
Typically, EFL Cup ties would be moved to Thursday to allow for 72 hours’ rest between games, which could then affect the subsequent Premier League weekend schedule. For instance, Fulham‘s match at Sunderland was moved to Sunday, and Chelsea versus Brighton was also selected for Sunday broadcast.
Further complications arose when both Fulham and Chelsea were drawn to play their Carabao Cup ties at home. Regulations typically prevent two clubs from playing home matches on the same day in close proximity, which may require intervention from authorities or the EFL to resolve.
The scheduling issues could also affect eight EFL clubs at short notice. The opponents of Fulham and Chelsea, AFC Wimbledon and Luton respectively, have League One fixtures scheduled for the Saturday following their cup ties. If the Carabao Cup matches are moved to Thursday, these Saturday games would ordinarily shift to Sunday.
An additional complication is a full program of League One games scheduled for the following Tuesday, 1 September. This could impact up to four matches, potentially necessitating their movement to Wednesday. This situation might lead to teams playing two games within 48 hours or supporters facing displaced games after making travel arrangements.
Northern Section Draw Details
- Stoke v Hull
- Newcastle v West Bromwich Albion
- Blackburn v Sheffield United
- Nottingham Forest v Leeds
- Fleetwood v Shrewsbury
- Bradford v Burnley
- Sheffield Wednesday v Wolves
- Blackpool v Lincoln
- Preston v Everton
- Barnsley v Crewe
- Doncaster v Middlesbrough
Southern Section Draw Details
- Stevenage v Reading
- Cardiff v Norwich
- Ipswich v Leicester
- Walsall v Leyton Orient
- Cambridge v Millwall
- Birmingham v Brentford
- Southampton v West Ham
- Watford v Peterborough
- Fulham v AFC Wimbledon
- Plymouth/Exeter v Coventry
- Chelsea v Luton
- Tottenham v Charlton
Brentford‘s away match against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s will be played in the week commencing Monday, 24 August.
Birmingham City advanced to this round after defeating Swansea City 1-0. Brentford, along with 10 other top-flight teams not in European competition, enters the tournament at this stage, having reached the quarter-finals in the previous two campaigns.
The confirmed date for Brentford‘s tie, which is scheduled between their 2026/27 Premier League opener against Tottenham Hotspur and an away match against Leeds United, will be announced at a later time.
The games potentially impacted by fixture changes on Saturday, 29 August, include Wimbledon v Wigan and Mansfield v Luton. Additionally, on Tuesday, 1 September, potential impacts could affect Burton v Wimbledon, Wigan v MK Dons, Luton v Stockport, and Reading v Mansfield.
Source: bbc.co.uk