Carling cup : The road to Glory begins : Third round preview

The carling cup has returned this season with a draw pitting some of the best teams against each other . This is the round when the premiership heavyweights enter into the competition and some of them have been handed tricky and exciting draws .

Carling Cup

In a mouthwatering North London derby , Tottenham would welcome Arsenal at the White Hart Lane in the pick of the matches . The rivalry between the two capital sides are well known, further intensified by the transfer of William Gallas to Spurs . Newcastle United, fresh from their good start to the premier league have been handed a tough match away to Chelsea who have been free scoring . It would be a real test for the magpies as Hughton would most likely give rest to some of the regular players .

In other all premiership clashes , Aston Villa renew their carling cup rivalries when the take on Blackburn , Sunderland clash with West Ham at the Stadium of Lights and the the billionaire backed Manchester City out to face West Brom at the Hawthorns .

Another hugely entertaining tie would be the clash of northern rivals , Burnley and Bolton . With Owen Coyle being the current manager of Bolton and acrimoniously leaving Burnley last season which might have led to their relegation , it is payback time for the clarets .

There have been some dream matches scheduled too. League two side , Northampton , the lowest side left in the competition face a once in a lifetime opportunity to face Liverpool at Anfield . Notts county faces Wolves while M K Dons , who eliminated Blackpool in the last round faces a daunting trip to St Andrews to face Birmingham.