THE first FOUR rounds of the Carabao Cup will be crammed into the first month of the season in order to get the competition played.
EFL bosses have been forced to get creative with the fixture list in order for their cup tournament to be staged following the delayed start to the new season.
The first round, involving EFL sides, will be played on September 5.
That is just one week before the league campaigns are due to kick-off.
Then rounds two, three and four will be staged each midweek from September 15/16 – which will include the Premier League sides.
Top flight teams enter the tournament in the second round, except for those involved in European competitions who come in a round later.
The condensed timescale mean Premier League clubs are expected to play a minimum of SIX matches in the first three weeks of the new season – every weekend and midweek from September 12.
It is worse for EFL sides who will have seven games in the month because of their involvement in the first round, and it’s sure to mean a host of clubs opting to field teams of youngsters.
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After the mad September, the tournament stays on hold until the week before Christmas when the fifth round will be played, with the semi-finals on January 5/6.
The final will be played on February 28.
The draw for the first round will take place on Sky Sports News on Tuesday 18 August 2020, time TBC.
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