Manchester City will learn their potential Carabao Cup fourth round opponents prior to facing off against Norwich City in the third round of the competition.
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Enzo Maresca and his Manchester City players come into the latest edition of the Carabao Cup as the reigning holders of the tournament, after Pep Guardiola's final success in the competition during his last season at the club in 2025/26.
Culminating in a showpiece final win over the eventual Premier League champions Arsenal thanks to a brace from Nico O'Reilly at Wembley in late March, City also saw off competition from across the Football League and top-flight to claim the title.
Starting in last season's third round, City dismissed of Huddersfield Town away from home via a 0-2 victory, before defeating Swansea City in south Wales courtesy of a 1-3 victory, taking them into the quarter-finals and a 2-0 home win over Brentford.
The semi-final stage would see Manchester City dismiss of Newcastle United over two-legs, winning 0-2 on the road in the North-East, before claiming a 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium just under a month later.
Now, in the 2026/27 edition of the competition, the Carabao Cup journey for Enzo Maresca and his players begins with a third round meeting against Philippe Clement's Championship outfit Norwich City.
But before the two sides even come to a conclusion over the team that will progress in the tournament, the English Football League have confirmed the draw procedure for the fourth round - to be completed ahead of Manchester City's tie.
When is the Carabao Cup fourth round draw?
The Carabao Cup fourth round draw is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 16 September broadcast live on Sky Sports and following the conclusion of the third round tie between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion - kick-off at 20:00 (BST).
The draw will be hosted by Sky Sports' Pien Meulensteen, alongside former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp and former Manchester United defender Ashley Young - both of whom will be conducting the draw itself.
What are the ball numbers for the draw?
The ball numbers for the fourth round draw will be finalised and published on the English Football League's channels on the morning of Wednesday 16 September.
When will the fourth round matches take place?
The Carabao Cup fourth round ties will take place during the week commencing 26 October.
For Manchester City, that means that a fourth round tie in the League Cup will take place after the lunchtime visit to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday 24 October, and ahead of the home meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday 31 October.