The third round draw of the Capital One Cup happened today and it is not good news if you are a Tottenham or Arsenal fan. In a tournament that consists of teams from the Premier League to League Two, Tottenham and Arsenal were drawn together for an early North London Derby to easily make it the toughest and most compelling matchup of the third round.
The Capital One Cup third round consists of the 24 winners in the second round as well as the eight teams who are competing in European competitions this season. They get a bye to the third round as the other EPL teams enter the second round.
Obviously, the big matchup in the third round is Tottenham vs. Arsenal which will be played at White Hart Lane. If you are a fan of either team, it could be a blessing or a curse. It could be a blessing if you want your team to focus on other competitions as well as European qualification. Or it could be a curse if you want them to compete and you see your competition playing teams in lower divisions.
Another big matchup in the Capital One Cup third round will be a rare Second City Derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City at Villa Park. There hasn’t been a Second City Derby since January 2011, when Birmingham City was last in the Premier League.
Other big matchups featuring top teams include Manchester United and Championship leaders Ipswich Town at Old Trafford, Liverpool vs. Carlisle United (lowest ranked team in contention, 20th in League Two) at Anfield, Sunderland vs. Manchester City at the Stadium of Light, Walsall vs. Chelsea at Bescot Stadium and MK Dons vs. Southampton at Stadium mk.
Other than Tottenham/Arsenal and Sunderland/Manchester City, other all EPL matchups include Norwich City vs. West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City vs. West Ham United.
Here’s the complete list of Capital One Cup matchups. Games will be played the week of September 21. You can also visit our Capital One Cup page which will be updated with results as well as the next round schedule.
Middlesbrough (CH) vs. Wolverhampton (CH)
Norwich City (EPL) vs. West Brom (EPL)
Hull City (CH) vs. Swansea (EPL)
Leicester City (EPL) vs. West Ham (EPL)
Aston Villa (EPL) vs. Birmingham City (CH)
Tottenham (EPL) vs. Arsenal (EPL)
Manchester United (EPL) vs. Ipswich Town (CH)
Liverpool (EPL) vs. Carlisle United (L2)
Crystal Palace (EPL) vs. Charlton Athletic (CH)
Fulham (CH) vs. Stoke (EPL)
Sunderland (EPL) vs. Manchester City (EPL)
Newcastle (EPL) vs. Sheffield Wednesday (CH)
Reading (CH) vs. Barnsley (L1)/Everton (EPL)
Preston North End (CH) vs. Bournemouth (EPL)
Walsall (L1) vs. Chelsea (EPL)
MK Dons (CH) vs. Southampton (EPL)
