City are safely into the second round of the Carabao Cup after a memorable opening weekend of the competition, with Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Derby County earning us another place in the hat.
The Imps’ win at Pride Park was described by the EFL as one of the notable results of the opening round, and rightly so. City went away to a side that finished eighth in the Championship last season and produced a performance that suggested the step up in divisions might not be quite as daunting as some had predicted.
Goals from Ben House and Dom Jefferies did the damage, ensuring Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw’s first competitive game as joint head coaches ended with progression. It also means attention can now turn towards Monday evening and the identity of our second-round opponents.
First-round drama
There was plenty happening elsewhere across the competition on Saturday, with penalties featuring heavily in the opening round.
Millwall progressed after drawing 1-1 with QPR, winning their shootout 2-0 thanks largely to former City goalkeeper Lukas Jensen. Returning after 15 months out through injury, Jensen remarkably stopped all four of QPR’s penalties.
Preston also needed spot-kicks against Huddersfield, eventually winning 4-3 after a 1-1 draw, while Burnley overcame Notts County by the same shootout score after another 1-1 draw.
Shrewsbury, Reading, Doncaster, AFC Wimbledon and Barnsley were also among the sides needing penalties to book their places in round two. Shrewsbury’s shootout against Salford was particularly chaotic, with nine penalties missed before Arkell Jude-Boyd finally settled it.
Elsewhere, Norwich beat MK Dons 4-1, Luton defeated Gillingham 3-0 and West Brom won 4-1 at Rotherham. Leicester edged Northampton 1-0 in Russell Martin’s first competitive game in charge, while Sheffield Wednesday recorded the same scoreline against Bolton.
Blackburn came from behind to win 2-1 at Burton, while Stoke, Birmingham and Fleetwood were also victorious. Watford had to wait until the 99th minute before Marc Bola scored the only goal against Crawley.
The remaining first-round fixtures are completed across Sunday and Monday, with the final tie being the Devon derby between Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City on Monday night.
When is the second-round draw?
The Carabao Cup second-round draw takes place on Monday, August 10, at approximately 7.20 pm.
It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports during the build-up to Plymouth against Exeter, meaning City should know their next opponents before the final first-round tie has even kicked off.
As with the opening round, the draw will remain regionalised, with clubs divided into northern and southern sections. That reduces the number of potential opponents for City, although the precise draw numbers and sections will determine the full list available on Monday evening.
Premier League clubs enter
Round two is also the stage at which 11 Premier League sides enter the competition.
Brentford, Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle United, Everton, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City will all join the 35 clubs progressing from the first round.
The remaining Premier League clubs will enter later due to their involvement in European competition.
For City, the regional format means some of those 11 can immediately be discounted, but there remains the possibility of drawing Premier League opposition. Newcastle, Everton, Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Hull are among the obvious northern possibilities, depending on how the final sections are confirmed.
There will also be plenty of EFL opposition in the draw. Burnley, Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday, Blackpool, Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers, Barnsley and Preston are among those already through from the northern half of the country, while several more places are still to be decided.
When will round two be played?
Second-round fixtures are scheduled for the week commencing Monday, August 24th.
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