Major change proposed to EFL Cup that impacts Blackpool, Wrexham, Burnley and Spurs


Blackpool will play in a different look Carabao Cup next season with the EFL reportedly set to introduce a seeding system.
According to the Telegraph, a seeding system will be brought in which will ensure that teams involved in European competitions avoid each other in the early rounds. A ranking will be brought in to ensure that the teams in the Champions League and Europa League do not play against each other in the competition.
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Hide AdThe third round of the competition will be spread over the space of two weeks to help with fixture congestion and will take place on September 18 and 25. UEFA's decision to expand their club competitions to 36 teams means more games with the group stages running until January.
Carabao Cup campaigns begin in the first two weeks of August and end at the end of February or early March. The changes make it a possibility that Blackpool could play some of the bigger teams should they progress to the third round.
The last time Blackpool progressed to the third round of the competition was in 2018/19 when they lost to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Their best performance in the competition was reaching the semi-finals in the 1961/1962 season.
England has seven teams playing European football next season. Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa will play in the Champions League, whilst Manchester United and Spurs are in the Europa League and then Chelsea are England's sole representative in the UEFA Conference League.
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Hide AdChelsea are unaffected by the situation as their group stage campaign should they progress in the qualifying rounds would start at a later date. The West London club could still draw some of the bigger teams with only the top four, Man United and Spurs blocked from playing each other.
Changes have already been made to the FA Cup, the oldest competition in club football with replays being scrapped. Blackpool had a replay against Nottingham Forest last season, losing in extra time.
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