Chelsea to face Middlesbrough or Barnsley in Carabao Cup third round

The new Premier League season starts next weekend, and because everything’s delayed and compressed, the new League Cup season gets underway for Premier League teams then as well. Those not in European competitions will have to contest the second round of the Cup Only The Winners Care About just a few days after, while those in Europe will enter in the third round as usual, which is set to be conducted just a week after that, not as usual.

For Chelsea, this means a midweek match after the home opener against Liverpool in two weeks. (Chelsea start the season next Monday, with a trip back to Brighton.)

The draw for both the second and the third rounds was conducted on Sunday. Chelsea were drawn against the winners of Middlesbrough and Barnsley, both Championship-level sides these days. (We won’t know until a bit closer to the day whether the match will be televised or whether it will be on Tuesday the 22nd or Wednesday the 23rd)

So, no time to waste in getting up to speed for all the new boys and all the international returnees and quarantiners.

The draw for the 2020-21 Carabao Cup third round, in full:

Bradford OR Lincoln vs. Liverpool
Bristol City OR Northampton vs. Burton Albion OR Aston Villa
Morecambe OR Oldham vs. Newcastle OR Blackburn
Reading OR Luton vs. Manchester United
Derby OR Preston vs. Brighton OR Bournemouth
Ipswich OR Fulham vs. Rochdale OR Sheffield Wednesday
Manchester City vs. Bournemouth OR Crystal Palace
Millwall OR Cheltenham vs. Burnley OR Sheffield United
CHELSEA vs. Middlesbrough OR Barnsley
Wolves OR Stoke vs. Gillingham OR Coventry
Leicester City vs. Arsenal
West Brom Or Harrogate Town vs. Southampton OR Brentford
Newport OR Cambridge vs. Oxford OR Watford
Fleetwood Town OR Port Vale vs. Everton OR Salford City
Leyton Orient OR Portsmouth vs. Tottenham
West Ham OR Charlton vs. Leeds United OR Hull City