Why Manchester United Will Start Carabao Cup Journey Earlier Than Other Rivals
- Manchester United will start their 2025/2026 Carabao Cup season earlier than other top teams in England
- The Red Devils were included in the second round draw that was held on August 14, as they learnt who they would be facing
- United won the cup in Erik ten Hag's first season in charge, but were eliminated by Newcastle United and Tottenham in subsequent seasons
Manchester United will be forced to start their Carabao Cup campaign this season earlier than usual.
Source: Getty Images
Ruben Amorim's side learnt who they will face in the second round after the draw was done on Wednesday evening.
Full Carabao Cup draw: Who will Man United face?
The Red Devils are the only proverbial top six that were included in the draw with Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and even the defending champions, Newcastle United, notable absentees.
United will have to beat Grimsby Town away at Blundell Park if they want to progress to the third round.
The standout fixtures of this round would be Bournemouth taking on Brentford, while West Ham United travel to Molineux in all-Premier League fixtures.
Why Manchester United will start Carabao Cup early
However, the main question fans asked was why United was included in the draw, yet they often start their campaign from the third round.
Davisy said,
"Never thought a day would come when almighty Manchester United gets to play in the second round of the Carabao Cup. This is all because Amorim refused to win games."
Ugo Drey said,
"This is worse than the conference league. Playing Carabao Cup from the second round."
While Franchise Ford said,
"Playing second round Carabao knockouts, I never wanna finish 15th ever again."
Well, the reason is that United are not involved in any European competition this season. Amorim's side finished 15th in the league, missing out on any automatic qualification spots.
They had a chance to qualify for Europe by winning the Europa League, but were beaten by Tottenham Hotspur in the final, making it the first time in 11 years there won't be European football at Old Trafford.
Teams that are involved in Europe usually start their campaign in the second round, which explains why Chelsea, Liverpool and the rest were not included in the draw.
Source: Getty Images
Which English teams are playing in Europe?
The Premier League will have eight teams playing European football this season. The teams are all excluded from the second round of the draw and will join in the next round.
Champions League: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle United
Europa League: Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest
Conference League: Crystal Palace
Carabao Cup draw in full
The fixtures will be played on the week starting August 25, after Manchester United have played Arsenal and Fulham in the Premier League.
Fulham v Bristol City
Norwich City v Southampton
Oxford United v Brighton & Hove Albion
Reading v AFC Wimbledon
AFC Bournemouth v Brentford
Millwall v Coventry City
Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United
Swansea City v Plymouth Argyle
Bromley v Wycombe Wanderers
Cardiff City v Cheltenham or Exeter
Cambridge United v Charlton Athletic
Tranmere Rovers or Burton Albion v Lincoln City
Accrington Stanley v Doncaster Rovers
Wigan Athletic v Stockport County
Stoke City v Bradford City
Burnley v Derby County
Sunderland v Huddersfield Town or Leicester City
Birmingham City or Sheffield United v Port Vale
Preston North End v Wrexham
Barnsley or Fleetwood Town v Rotherham United
Bolton Wanderers or Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United
Everton v Mansfield Town
Grimsby Town v Manchester United
Manchester United's new signings
Manchester United have been busy in the summer transfer window, shoring up their forward line with new signings.
The club has already bought Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, who are expected to bolster Amorim's options upfront.
Manchester United players congratulate McCarthy
In a separate story, Bruno Fernandes was among the United players who reacted to Benni McCarthy's post after Harambee Stars' wins over DR Congo and Morocco at the African Nations Championships (CHAN).
The Manchester United players still keep tabs on their former coach and often engage with his Instagram posts.
Goalkeeper Altay Bayindir left a congratulatory message, with Andre Onana also liking the post.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
