Carabao Cup draw: Manchester United off to Grimsby
The 2023 winners will head for Blundell Park during the week beginning August 25 after being paired with the Mariners in Wednesday night's draw, in which they were the last team team out of the hat.
Elsewhere, there are all-Premier League clashes between Bournemouth and Brentford and Wolves and West Ham, while promoted Leeds face a trip to either Bolton or Sheffield Wednesday and Everton will host League One Mansfield at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
League One Doncaster's reward for their 4-0 drubbing of Sky Bet Championship Middlesbrough is a trip to Accrington, while Bromley host League One Wycombe after dumping Ipswich, who spent last season in the Premier League, out on penalties.
The nine top-flight sides involved in Europe this season – Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, holders Newcastle, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace – will enter the competition in the third round.
DRAW
South Section
Fulham v Bristol City
Norwich v Southampton
Oxford v Brighton
Reading v AFC Wimbledon
Bournemouth v Brentford
Millwall v Coventry
Wolves v West Ham
Swansea v Plymouth
Bromley v Wycombe
Cardiff v Cheltenham or Exeter
Cambridge v Charlton
North Section
Tranmere or Burton v Lincoln
Accrington v Doncaster
Wigan v Stockport
Stoke v Bradford
Burnley v Derby
Sunderland v Huddersfield or Leicester
Birmingham or Sheffield United v Port Vale
Preston v Wrexham
Barnsley or Fleetwood v Rotherham
Bolton or Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds
Everton v Mansfield
Grimsby v Manchester United
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
16 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Liverpool's attacking firepower clear but also their defensive frailties
FOR ALL THE FOCUS on Liverpool's revamped forward line, which may yet be further supplemented by Newcastle United's unhappy Swede Alexander Isak, Arne Slot knows full well that league titles are won or lost by defences. The Dutchman inherited a world-class backline when he took over at Anfield a year ago, and ensured his men were miserly in the early months of what turned out to be a title-winning season. Liverpool did not concede once in their opening three games, all wins, and after a surprise 1-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest, then conceded two in the next four games. Their opening eight league games brought seven victories, with just three goals conceded, and took them to the top of the table, from where they never wavered. Slot had the second meanest defence in the division, conceding 41 times at just over a goal per game, but nine of those came in the final four matches, after they had wrapped up the title and were coasting towards their summer holidays. But it's already looking like a very different picture. Pegged back twice by Crystal Palace in last week's Community Shield, Liverpool conceded twice again as the unfancied Cherries picked them off with too much ease for Slot's liking. From being 2-0 ahead after 49 minutes, Liverpool looked like letting it slip when Antoine Semenyo scored twice in the space of 12 minutes to equalise, only for Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah to score two late goals and complete victory for the Reds. There was a huge sense of relief from Liverpool's fans when they scored, not least because Bournemouth looked at one point like they might take all three points. So nervous and unsettled was Liverpool's defence that Bournemouth had enough chances throughout to score more than four. Despite the dramatic victory, expectations around Anfield will be dampened now the world has seen they are fallible at the back. Jeremie Frimpong, who has arrived to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, shares the English international's defensive frailties, and was hooked early in the second half for the second game running. Milos Kerkez, poached from Bournemouth, was also replaced long before the end, as Slot looked to stem a tide from the south coast team. None of the defenders was faultless. Virgil Van Dijk had played David Brooks onside before he crossed for Semenyo's first, and he and Konate looked like rabbits in car headlights when the former Bristol City winger, who was the victim of racial abuse from the crowd, ran at them for his second. Slot knows he has work to do with his defence, and he cannot say he has not been warned. Jamie Carragher, who embodied defensive solidity when he was a player for the Reds said earlier this week, when Sky Sports launched their coverage of the new Premier League season, that he does not see a procession towards another title for the Reds, mostly because they have to assimilate the signings they have already made – and may have to fit in one or two more if Isak and Marc Guehi can be tempted away from Newcastle United and Crystal Palace respectively. 'I don't think it's inevitable that Liverpool are going to run away with the league, you know, because they've signed this player and that player and the league (title race) is over. 'History tells us it is not just about having the best players, but having the best team and getting the balance right, and last weekend it didn't quite look right.' At Wembley last week, Slot's new-look attack looked impressive, with Hugo Ekitike scoring early on his competitive debut, and setting up another for Cody Gakpo. Florian Wirtz showed flashes of the brilliance that prompted Liverpool to sign him for an English record fee, but as he did against Palace, the German faded and was withdrawn before the end. All the transfer talk this summer has been about whether Liverpool can get a deal for Isak over the line, with the fee likely to break the record they set with Wirtz's signing. But the ways things are looking with Ekitike, the Reds are well set up front, but not settled at the back, and perhaps Guehi should now become their priority. The England international is in the last year of his contract so would be a free transfer next summer, when Konate is expected to leave Liverpool. The way things are going, the Reds would do well to spend the money now on Guehi and ship out Konate, or at least put the Palace man straight in ahead of him. Liverpool still have the goal power to win games, but as it stands they do not appear to have the same solidity in defence that set them on their way to the title last season – and Slot needs to address that sooner rather than later.
Irish Daily Mirror
16 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Virgin Media issue statement as customers miss Liverpool vs Bournemouth goal
Virgin Media has acknowledged that some viewers experienced difficulties while trying to watch the opening match of the Premier League season on Friday night. Numerous fans voiced their complaints about the broadcast breaking up during the first half of the Liverpool vs Bournemouth match. "We apologise to customers who experienced pixelation issues with their television services earlier this evening," a spokesperson for Virgin Media stated in a comment provided to Mirror Football. "Our teams worked swiftly to identify the fault and have now restored services to normal." Hugo Ekitike scored on his Premier League debut for Liverpool, giving the defending champions a lead at half-time. However, this came after fans expressed their frustrations about their viewing experience. "Anybody else's Virgin Media just gone mad. Pixelation on every channel?" one wrote. "Missed the Liverpool goal due to me having to restart the box thinking that might sort it. @virginmedia sort it out," said another. "Very poor," said a third. "Will I get my refund "As soon as possible". But not before the football finishes." It was an action-packed first half, with Ekitike one of four new signings to start for Liverpool. Florian Wirtz went straight into the starting XI after his club record move from Bayer Leverkusen, while there were league debuts for full-backs Milos Kerkez - against his former club - and Jeremie Frimpong. "The one player that I have noticed that is struggling a bit but he needs to get up to the speed and the physicality of the play is Florian Wirtz," former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock said of Wirtz during BBC Radio 5 Live's coverage. "You are looking at him thinking, he just needs to be aware of players coming off his shoulder and nicking the ball off him. The game is a lot quicker here than in the Bundesliga." Liverpool saw an appeal for a red card denied in the opening 15 minutes after Marcos Senesi avoided punishment for handball. "The referee's call of no red card to Senesi was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the action deemed not to be a clear handball offence nor denial of a goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO), due to the distance from goal," the Premier League Match Centre account wrote on social media. Bournemouth were also left frustrated by some officiating moments before the break. Alex Scott went down in the area after a coming-together with Alexis Mac Allister but neither on-field ref Anthony Taylor nor the VAR official felt the Cherries deserved a penalty for the incident. It was 1-0 at the break, but Liverpool doubled their lead minutes after the restart. Ekitike was involved again, holding the ball up before feeding Cody Gakpo who cut inside before finding the bottom corner.
Irish Daily Mirror
16 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Marcus Rashford faces Barcelona registration dilemma as Hansi Flick hits back
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has voiced his anger as the club's ongoing financial woes have prevented them from registering Marcus Rashford for the new campaign. The England forward arrived on loan from Manchester United during the summer, but the Catalan giants must meet La Liga's stringent wage cap regulations before he can take to the pitch in the competition. Rashford isn't alone in this predicament, with the situation stemming from rigid financial regulations that all La Liga sides must follow. New shot-stopper Joan Garcia requires registration, whilst the same issue affects fellow keeper Wojciech Szczesny following the Polish star's fresh contract with the club. Barcelona can offset some of the necessary budget through skipper Marc-Andre ter Stegen's medical absence arrangement, which releases 80 per cent of the German's salary for fresh registrations whilst he remains sidelined through injury. The club employed a comparable strategy last summer to register Dani Olmo when Andreas Christensen was ruled out for an extended spell, and revealed intentions to officially register Garcia in light of Ter Stegen's circumstances. Even so, Flick has been left in a less than ideal situation ahead of Saturday's opener against Mallorca. "For me, the situation, you can imagine I'm not happy about that. But I know the situation and I believe in the club," the boss told reporters on Friday. "We have to wait till tomorrow. It was the same situation last season. We will focus on what we can change and what is in our hands. The other things, I believe in the club." Ter Stegen's decision came after an initial refusal from the Germany international, which saw him briefly stripped of the captaincy but things now appear to be more rosier between player and club. "I think the most important thing is that everyone speaks together. Marc and the club, they spoke," Flick added, "The most important thing for me, for Marc and the club is that he comes back. He's shown for many years here that he's a fantastic goalkeeper and the important thing is that he comes back and is ready to play. We'll all help him, we're all on his side." Rashford and Garcia have both played in pre-season despite the uncertainty over the league opener. Both started the Joan Gamper Trophy, Barca's final warm-up game ahead of the new season, with Rashford setting up a goal for Raphinha in a 5-0 victory over Como. The England international has been learning Spanish to help converse with his new team-mates, some of whom also speak Catalan, while those with a good command of English have also helped him settle in quickly. "There are good people who are like a bridge. Frenkie [de Jong] speaks really good English, Jules [Kounde] speaks very good English, but they also have good Spanish because they've been here a few years," Rashford said on The Rest is Football podcast. "But on the pitch, honestly it's easier than what I thought it would be. Also football overall, I know a lot of people say it, but it's a language in itself and it's easy to communicate through the general vibe on the pitch."
