Blues to face Newcastle in Carabao Cup third-round

EFL admit draw blunder but insist competition integrity not harmed

City will face Newcastle United in the third-round of the Carabao Cup, following the draw on Wednesday evening.

The two sides met at The Etihad in the league just under a fortnight ago, with the Blues taking all three points thanks to a Julian Alvarez goal.

A technical error during the live draw meant that Newcastle were incorrectly assigned ball number 20 instead of Norwich City, but the EFL have said that the mistake hasn't harmed the competitions integrity.

An EFL spokesperson said: “The numbers for the Round Three draw of the Carabao Cup were allocated and communicated in advance of the draw taking place on Wednesday evening and were drawn in-line with the usual strict protocols and conditions.

"The League accepts that the list published was not in alphabetical order, however, under Cup rules, the draw does not require for numbers to be allocated on that basis as is demonstrated by those teams who progressed on Wednesday night.  As a result, the EFL views the draw as completely valid with no impact to competition integrity.”

The game will be played at St James Park on the week beginning Monday September 25, 2023.

Draw in full:

Ipswich Town vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Exeter City vs Luton Town
Aston Villa vs Everton
Manchester United vs Crystal Palace
Port Vale vs Sutton United
Bradford City vs Middlesbrough
Bournemouth vs Stoke City
Lincoln City vs West Ham
Brentford vs Arsenal
Chelsea vs Brighton
Salford City vs Burnley
Fulham vs Norwich City
Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City
Liverpool vs Leicester City
Newcastle United vs Manchester City
Mansfield Town vs Peterborough United