Carabao Cup draw LIVE: Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham learn quarter-final opponents
Latest updates as the last-eight matches are revealed
The only EFL club left in the competition were able to avoid Chelsea and Liverpool but will face Mikel Arteta’s side at the Emirates in the week commencing December 20.
Elsewhere, Tottenham will host London rivals West Ham after they were the first teams drawn out by Jimmy Bullard, a runner-up in the League Cup with Wigan in 2006, and Leyton Orient fan and actor Daniel Mays on Soccer AM. Sunderland will travel to Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup after the draw was made on Saturday morning.
Liverpool were the penultimate team drawn out and they will entertain Leicester at Anfield, with the Reds looking to add to their eight overall wins in the competition - the joint-most along with Manchester City, who had won the tournament in each of the last four seasons but were knocked out by West Ham in the fourth round.
Another derby between two sides in the capital will see Brentford set to host Chelsea again. The two west London clubs faced off earlier in the month with Thomas Tuchel’s side clinching a narrow 1-0 win after a hard-fought contest at the Brentford Community Stadium.
Arsenal vs Leicester
Meanwhile, the teams are in for the first game of the Premier League weekend, Leicester vs Arsenal. Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang start up front together for the Gunners. You can follow all the build-up and live updates right here:
Leicester vs Arsenal LIVE: Latest Premier League updates
Follow all the live action from the King Power Stadium in the lunchtime kick-off in the Premier League
Carabao Cup draw
The draw should be getting under way any moment now, though we haven’t been told exactly when. You have to say Soccer AM have played a blinder here, hiding the draw in amongst their usual bonkers show and almost certainly inflating their viewer numbers in the process. Currently Dean Ashton is performing volleys, more as we get it.
Carabao Cup numbers
The answer is Brentford, West Ham and Sunderland. Liverpool have won eight League Cups, most recently in 2012, while Chelsea have won five, Spurs four and Leicester three. Arsenal only have two, remarkable considering their haul of FA Cups, having won in 1987 and 1993. It has been a long wait.
Carabao Cup numbers
Earlier we mentioned that three of the remaining eight clubs have never won the Carabao Cup – so who are they? Answer coming in a moment...
- Arsenal
- Chelsea
- Sunderland
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Leicester City
- Liverpool
- Brentford
- West Ham United
Fantasy Premier League
While we wait for the draw to kick-off, here’s a reminder should you need it that the Fantasy Premier League deadline is almost upon us. Here are our tips this week:
How will Carabao Cup affect Brentford?
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank admitted he does not know how going through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals will affect his side’s Premier League form.
The Bees, who booked their place in the last eight with a 2-1 win at Stoke on Wednesday, travel to Burnley in the league on Saturday. Brentford have an unbeaten away record and will face a side still searching for their first league win of the season - but Frank harbours cup as well as league aspirations.
“I just know one thing. We would like to do as well as possible in the League Cup. We’re now in the quarter-finals, why not try to win it?” he said. “There are some massive clubs there but we’ll do our very best.
“Last year we managed to get to the semi-finals even though we were in the Championship and played even more games in December than we are planning to do this year. I know my staff is so skilful everything will be planned, we’ll be on top of that, so if we’re not unlucky with injuries like I think we have been then I can’t see a reason why we shouldn’t give it a big shot.” PA
Roundup
Manchester City’s stranglehold over the Carabao Cup was finally broken after West Ham defeated Pep Guardiola’s side on penalties at the London Stadium. It meant, after four successive years of City dominance, a new winner will be crowned in February and plenty of sides in the quarter-final draw will feel confident of their chances.
Arsenal brushed aside Leeds to secure their place in the last-eight, with Mikel Arteta looking to lift his second trophy as a head coach, and are now unbeaten in their last eight matches in all competitions. Chelsea required penalties to edge past Southampton but have been in imperious form since lifting the Champions League last summer and currently top the Premier League table.
Sunderland are the weakest side left in the draw after edging QPR on penalties, while Liverpool and Tottenham saw off Preston and Burnley respectively. Brentford are through, too, having held off a late fightback at Stoke, while Leicester were twice pegged back by Brighton in normal time but came out victorious in the shootout.
How to watch Carabao Cup draw
It will be shown on Sky Sports’ Soccer AM this morning, broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. The draw itself is also expected to be shown on Sky Sports’ Youtube channel.
Carabao Cup dates and schedule
The draw might be today but it will be a little while until we see these games in action. The busy European midweeks and another international break (sorry to be the bearer of bad news) are on the horizon, meaning the Carabao Cup quarter-finals slot in just before Christmas.
Then, in that funny little period in the New Year when the Premier League pauses for a couple of weeks, the FA Cup third round is sandwiched in between the two legs of the Carabao semi-finals – meaning if any of the big guns are knocked out at the quarter-final stage, their big stars will probably be jetting off somewhere warm for a while until the Premier League returns in mid January.
The final, at Wembley, is on Sunday 27 February.
Quarter-Finals – w/c 20 December 2021
Semi-Final first legs – w/c 3 January 2022
Semi-Final second legs – w/c 10 January 2022
Final – Sunday 27 February 2022
Who is in the draw?
A reminder of the eight names in the hat/bag/bowl, and some stats for you: Seven play in the Premier League; five are from London; three have never won the League Cup before.
- Arsenal
- Chelsea
- Sunderland
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Leicester City
- Liverpool
- Brentford
- West Ham United
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