Arsenal have been confirmed to avoid a host of major rivals, including Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool, when the draw for the Carabao Cup third round takes place, due to a special format designed to separate clubs competing in European competition this season.
The Gunners are among nine clubs who have secured continental football this term, alongside Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Sunderland. Because all nine sides qualified for either the Champions League or Europa League, organisers have opted to keep them apart during the early stages of the draw process.
A statement published on Arsenal's official website explained the reasoning behind the adjusted format. "Due to our involvement in the UEFA Champions League, the draw will be carried out differently to the usual format," the statement read. "All sides that have qualified for the European league phases will be kept from facing each other in a pre-draw. This draw will decide whether each of the eight Champions League and Europa League Clubs will be at home or away. There will then be a main draw, where the first eight ties will involve those Champions League and Europa League clubs, with their home or away position already having been decided. Each side will be drawn against a club from a separate bowl containing the remaining teams."
The arrangement means Mikel Arteta's side will have to wait until at least the fourth round to potentially exact revenge on Manchester City, who beat them in last season's Carabao Cup final, assuming both clubs continue to progress through the competition. Arsenal are hoping to reach back-to-back finals in the tournament.
While the biggest names in English football have been kept apart, Arsenal could still be handed an eye-catching London derby. Neither Chelsea nor Tottenham secured European qualification this season, meaning both remain eligible opponents for the Gunners in round three. However, those fixtures are far from guaranteed - Tottenham must first navigate a tie against Charlton, while Chelsea face a test against Jack Wilshere's Luton Town before any such meeting could be arranged.
Arsenal have been placed in ball number two for the third round draw, opening up a range of possible opponents from the remaining bowl. Sides they could be paired with include Barnsley, Brentford, Coventry, Fleetwood, Hull, Ipswich, Leeds, Leyton Orient, Lincoln, Middlesbrough, Millwall, Norwich, Peterborough, Reading, Sheffield United, West Ham, Wolves, and the winners of Bradford versus Burnley, Newcastle versus West Brom, Tottenham versus Charlton, Preston versus Everton, Chelsea versus Luton, and Fulham versus AFC Wimbledon.
The third round of the Carabao Cup is scheduled to be played across two separate weeks, with fixtures taking place from September 7 before a further batch of matches on September 14. As with previous rounds, all ties will be decided over a single leg, with the victors advancing into the fourth round of the competition.
For Arsenal, the priority remains progressing past Port Vale in round two before turning attention to what awaits in the next stage of the competition. Given the restructured draw process, supporters will have to wait to see whether a domestic heavyweight clash or a more straightforward tie against lower-league opposition awaits their side in the weeks ahead.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.