Carabao Cup Round Three draw

Aston Villa will discover their Carabao Cup Round Three opponents on Wednesday night.

Unai Emery’s side enter the domestic cup competition at this stage alongside all clubs competing in UEFA European competitions this season.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the draw...

When is the draw?

The main draw for Round Three of the Carabao Cup takes place live on Sky Sports (approx 10.15pm) following the conclusion of Preston North End’s Round Two tie against Everton on Wednesday, August 26 (ko 8pm).

Can I watch the draw live?

Yes. The match and subsequent draw will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Supporters will also be able to follow updates on who Villa will face, as always, across the club’s official channels.

How will the draw work?

As a result of the expanded European competition calendar and the fixture clashes it presents, additional conditions will be required for the draw.

As UEFA competition fixtures cannot be rescheduled, and to enable the Carabao Cup to proceed within its agreed schedule, these measures will ensure the eight clubs participating in the Champions League and Europa League, including Aston Villa, cannot meet each other in Round Three.

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 live on Sky Sports during the build-up to Preston North End’s Round Two tie against Everton (approx 7.20pm).

In the main draw, to be conducted after the Round Two tie, the first eight ties will involve those Champions League and Europa League Clubs, with their home or away position already having been decided, and each will be drawn against a club from a separate bowl containing the remaining teams.

Once those eight ties have been drawn, the final eight ties will be drawn as normal.

The draw will not be split into Northern and Southern sections.

Please note, while Brighton & Hove Albion may also enter Europe through the Conference League, that competition does not begin until October and so it does not affect the Round Three schedule.

What ball number are we?

The Carabao Cup Round Three draw will include 32 clubs – 23 winners from Round Two and the nine Premier League clubs competing in UEFA competitions.

1 AFC Bournemouth

2 Arsenal

3 Aston Villa

4 Crystal Palace

5 Manchester City

6 Manchester United

7 Liverpool

8 Sunderland

9 Barnsley

10 Brentford

11 Brighton & Hove Albion

12 Coventry City

13 Fleetwood Town

14 Hull City

15 Ipswich Town

16 Leeds United

17 Leyton Orient

18 Lincoln City

19 Middlesbrough

20 Millwall

21 Norwich City

22 Peterborough United

23 Reading

24 Sheffield United

25 West Ham United

26 Wolverhampton Wanderers

27 Bradford City / Burnley

28 Newcastle United / West Bromwich Albion

29 Tottenham Hotspur / Charlton Athletic

30 Preston North End / Everton

31 Chelsea / Luton Town

32 Fulham / AFC Wimbledon

When will Round Three matches take place?

Round Three fixtures will take place across two weeks (w/c September 7 and 14), with fixtures in the Champions League (w/c September 7) and Europa League (w/c September 14) also scheduled during this period.

This means the teams drawn in each tie will be able to fulfil the fixture in one of the allocated weeks in September.