Carabao Cup make major rule change as Manchester United cannot play four teams

The Carabao Cup have made a major rule change, as Manchester United cannot play four teams in the third round ahead of the competition.

Manchester United were crowned the 2022/23 Carabao Cup winners after defeating Newcastle United 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, securing Erik ten Hag‘s first trophy at Old Trafford.

However, last season, United fell to a 3-0 defeat against the same opposition, with Newcastle running riot at Old Trafford and knocking Ten Hag’s men out of the 2023/24 competition.

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However, as 2024/25 kicks off, United are once again back in the pot for the third round, but there has been a significant rule change that will exclude the club from playing four other teams for this coming draw.

This time, the third round of the competition will be held over two game weeks to accommodate the new-look European competition formats. United will now play eight Europa League games instead of the usual six.

The Reds will play their Carabao Cup game in the week starting 16 September, ahead of the club’s game against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

However, this means that United will not be able to play any English teams participating in the Champions League: Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa.

25 clubs are set to progress from round two of the competition. The EFL has confirmed that the pre-draw will commence before Nottingham Forest faces Newcastle on Wednesday night, deciding the positioning of the six clubs in “Bowl One.”

The main draw will happen after the City Ground fixture is concluded, which is when United will discover their opponents for the third round.

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