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The English League Club or the Carabao Cup (the energy drink sponsor since 2016) has been played in England since 1960. It has all the 92 clubs from the four-tiered professional football setup in England, competing for the honors.
In 2018, there will be an overhaul for the tournament. This summer, the English Football League clubs decided to incorporate a host changes to this season’s Carabao Cup competition. With the third round slated to begin this Tuesday, the changes may have crucial implications for the clubs especially the Premier League participants.
Abolition of Extra time
There will be no extra time in matches that end in draws in the allotted 90 minutes. If the match is tied after regulation 90 minutes, the play will go directly to spot kicks.
The League observed a three-year period and found out that 85 percent of matches get completed in normal time.
Thus, the decipherable conclusion was taken that additional 30 minutes are surplus to requirement. They only add more fatigue for the players without providing concomitant benefits to the quality of the game.
However, there will still be extra time in the Semi-Finals. For the two-legged Semi-Finals, in case of a tied score at the end of the second leg, extra time will be played.
If the scores are level even after 30 minutes of extra time then the game will be determined on the basis of away goals.
The away goals i.e. goals scored away from home will count double in the final scoreline.
Format of penalties
With the added likelihood of penalties, the format in which they will be taken has been reverted to the old ABAB system.
The ABBA system used last year added unnecessary confusion to the proceedings and broadcast and has been discontinued.
The ABBA system saw the team going second in the shootout (B), shooting consecutive penalties before the other team got his second penalty.
No carryover for Yellow cards
One of the most significant changes is that yellow cards earned in the EFL Cup will have no effect on the Premier League.
Therefore, the totting-up procedure for yellow cards in the League will be separate from the Carabao Cup.
A tally of five yellow cards merits a one-game ban and 10 Yellow cards lead to a two-match ban in the Premier League. From this season onward, the cautions in the Cup will not affect the number in the League.
No more Seeding
The system of seeding clubs which prevented an all Premier clashes in the early stages of the competition has been scrapped too. This has already proved crucial with the 3rd Round ties like Liverpool vs Chelsea and Tottenham s Watford.
However, the change could result in earlier ousters for Championship clubs as they may get Premier League competition sooner than previous editions.
Till the previous edition of the Cup, clubs had been seeded in the first two rounds. However, the first two rounds still had the north and south division like before with 22 clubs from League 1 and 2 and 22 clubs from the Championship taking part.
The two remaining Championship clubs Swansea and Stoke got byes in the second half on the back of their 18th and 19th position in the Premier League previously.
VAR gets more grass
After being tried in the semi-finals and finals of the competition last year, VAR or Video Assistant Referee, will be available from the entirety of the tournament. However, the technology will only be used in the fixtures played at Premier League stadiums.
The third round of the Carabao Cup will be held this Tuesday and Wednesday with seven remaining Premier League teams entering the competition at this stage.
The seven sides involved in Europe this season, namely the two Manchester Clubs, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Burnley, received byes into the third round.
Last year champions Manchester City will travel to Oxford in their opening match of the competition on Tuesday.
Their City rivals, United will play host to Frank Lampard’s Derby on the same day. Liverpool, who have won the Cup for a record eight times, will host Chelsea in their third-round tie on Wednesday evening.
The final is scheduled for Sunday, 24th February at Wembley.
