Chelsea will discover their Carabao Cup fourth-round opponents on Wednesday night after Xabi Alonso’s side booked their place with a dramatic 6-3 victory over Leeds United.
The Blues recovered from 2-0 down at Stamford Bridge, with Cole Palmer and Danny Welbeck both scoring twice before Pedro Neto and Valentin Barco completed the comeback.
Attention now turns to the fourth-round draw, which takes place on Wednesday 16 September following Manchester United’s third-round meeting with Brighton.
Chelsea’s official draw guide confirms the draw will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK.
When is the Carabao Cup fourth-round draw?
The fourth-round draw will take place on Wednesday night after Manchester United vs Brighton.
That game kicks off at 8pm BST at Old Trafford and is being shown live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event.
There is no need to give supporters a fake exact draw time at this stage because it will depend on when the match finishes.
The safest information is:
Date: Wednesday 16 September
Draw: After Manchester United vs Brighton
UK TV: Sky Sports
Chelsea’s ball number will be announced by the EFL on Wednesday morning.
Who could Chelsea face in the Carabao Cup fourth round?
The fourth round is an open draw, meaning Chelsea can face any of the other 15 teams that progress.
Five potential opponents are already confirmed alongside Chelsea: Bournemouth, Bradford City, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Sunderland.
The remaining places will come from:
Coventry City or Aston Villa
Everton or Wolverhampton Wanderers
Fleetwood Town or Sheffield United
Ipswich Town or Arsenal
Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester City or Norwich City
Manchester United or Brighton
Peterborough United or Barnsley
Reading or Brentford
West Ham United or Fulham
Chelsea’s official draw information confirms there are no regional restrictions at this stage.
That creates the possibility of anything from another favourable home draw to an early meeting with Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City or Manchester United.
Chelsea already showing willingness to rotate
The competition has already given Alonso an opportunity to use the depth of his squad.
Chelsea beat Luton Town 2-0 in the second round, when Danny Welbeck scored on his debut and Mike Penders and Valentin Barco were among those handed opportunities.
ReadChelsea’s report from the Luton victory showed how Alonso used the competition to rotate without sacrificing progression.
That continued against Leeds.
Chelsea made extensive changes before eventually calling on several senior players as they fought back from two goals behind.
Welbeck now has three Carabao Cup goals this season, with ReadChelsea also examining where the striker sits in Alonso’s Chelsea hierarchy.
Round four could require another careful balancing act.
Chelsea face brutal week around fourth round
Who Chelsea draw matters even more because of where the tie falls in their schedule.
Chelsea’s official season calendar places the fourth round in the week commencing 26 October, with Wednesday 28 October currently reserved for the competition.
Alonso’s side host Tottenham at 5.30pm on Saturday 24 October before welcoming Manchester United at 12.30pm on Saturday 31 October. Both league matches have already been selected for live television coverage.
That creates the possibility of:
Tottenham → Carabao Cup fourth round → Manchester United
inside seven days.
A difficult away draw would therefore ask significantly more of Chelsea’s squad than a home tie against lower-league opposition.
Players on the fringes of Alonso’s Premier League side could again become particularly important.
For now, Chelsea simply have to wait.
Their next Carabao Cup opponent will be revealed on Wednesday night as Alonso’s side continue their pursuit of a sixth League Cup triumph.
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