Ahead of this week’s round three Carabao Cup ties, the EFL has united with Sporf to boost the tournament’s fan engagement and celebrate its unique history.
As part of the campaign, throughout this season’s competition Carabao Cup ‘Magic Moments’ will showcase the best of the action, looking back on previous games and ahead to the round’s more interesting ties, while also attempting to recreate some of the competition’s most famous goals.
The ‘Magic Moments’ show will be hosted by EFL icon, Adebayo Akinfenwa – who will be joined by Sporf’s Will Brazier and a host of high-profile guests. The opening episode of the show will feature former competition winner and Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott. It is available on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The third round kicks off this evening with the pick of the ties coming from the South Coast, as Premier League Southampton head to Fratton Park for a long awaited reunion with bitter rivals Portsmouth.
The game will be one of two which are broadcast on Sky Sports this week, with Liverpool’s trip to MK Dons also being chosen by the channel tomorrow evening.
Last season saw the EFL implement changes to the competition in a bid to limit game time and increase tournament engagement, eradicated extra time from the games in the early rounds meaning they went straight to penalties following draws.
Following the decision of French league football (LFP) to end the Coupe de la Ligue, from next season England will become the only major European nation to host two cup competitions that run alongside the league campaign.
In an official statement, the LFP said: “This decision allows us to reduce the season schedule which gives players more time to recover and will give an extra European spot, via the Ligue 1 standings for the 2020-2021 season.
“Depending on the market, the LFP reserves the right to relaunch the competition at a later date.”
