The EFL Cup is the least important of the three main competitions for the elite sides of English football.
For the top clubs like Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, it is either a consolation prize for a season that didn’t go to script or an icing on the cake for a fantastic campaign.
While the smaller sides will consider the EFL Cup a massive coup, let us not discount the fact that it is a competition worthy of winning.
Manchester United are the defending champions, and while they would prefer to have won the Premier League or the FA Cup, they have bragging rights over their rivals.
The EFL Cup second round kicks off
The EFL Cup may not be high on the list for the average fan as the must-watch competition. It usually piques their interest from the second round when the big guns join the party.
The second round of the 64th edition of the EFL Cup starts on 29 August 2023. The competition, which will round up on 25 February 2024, has already seen the qualifiers from the first round. 12 EPL teams will be in this stage of the competition, while the other eight, competing in European competitions, are not due to join till the third round.
The third round starts on 25 September, 2023.
Premier League teams in the second round
Twelve Premier League teams will be in action in the second round. As much as we’d like to see an upset or two, the chances of the happening are minimal.
Of course, not all the Premier League teams will make it to the third round, as some of these sides will face off against each other. However, we still expect upsets to happen. After all, it is the beauty of the EFL Cup.
So, which Premier League side gets knocked out at this stage? Here are the fixtures involving sides from the elite division.
|
Tuesday 29 August, 2023 |
Time |
||
|
Fulham |
vs |
Tottenham |
18:45 pm |
|
Swansea |
vs |
AFC Bournemouth |
18:45 pm |
|
Newport County |
vs |
Brentford |
18:45 pm |
|
Plymouth Argyle |
vs |
Crystal Palace |
18:45 pm |
|
Wolves |
vs |
Blackpool |
18:45 pm |
|
Wednesday 30 August, 2023 |
|||
|
Chelsea |
vs |
AFC Wimbledon |
18:45 pm |
|
Nottingham Forest |
vs |
Burnley |
18:45 pm |
|
Sheffield United |
vs |
Lincoln City |
18:45 pm |
|
Doncaster Rovers |
vs |
Everton |
19:00 pm |
|
EFL Cup Rounds |
Match Dates |
|
1st Round |
Begins 8 Aug 2023 |
|
2nd Round |
Begins 29 Aug 2023 |
|
3rd Round |
Begins 25 Sep 2023 |
|
4th Round |
Begins 30 Oct 2023 |
|
Quarter Finals |
Begins 18 Dec 2023 |
|
1st Semi-Final |
Begins 8 Jan 2024 |
|
2nd Semi-Final |
Begins 21 Jan 2024 |
|
Finals |
Sunday, 25 Feb 2024 |
There are plenty of matches on parade. The 2023/24 season of the EFL Cup will witness 92 games played. All the games will be two-legged affairs except for the final at Wembley.
So, will Manchester United retain their trophy, or will there be a new champion? How many upsets are we going to see this season? All of these elements contribute to an intriguing EFL Cup season.
How to watch the EFL Cup 2023/24 season in Ghana
With the fixtures clear to everyone, the next question is where to watch the EFL Cup live.
SuperSport
SuperSport has the broadcast rights to air the EFL Cup matches in Ghana. They will show the matches. So get your groove on with a DSTV subscription.
GOTV
GOTV will be airing some of the matches of the competition. So, if the SuperSports subscription is a bit too pricey for you, GOTV is a low-budget option.
How to stream the EFL Cup
DSTV Now
With the DSTV app, you can stream the matches on the go.
VPN
With a VPN, you could link up to stream the matches on ESPN+, Sky Sports and Bein Sports.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 months ago
