Carabao Cup 2023/24

[Kyle]

1 hour ago, DavidMarrio said:

West Ham at home sandwiched between games against Man Utd and Arsenal (both at home) isn't ideal. Be a tough game that. 

Glad Chelsea/Newcastle got each other. Was kinda hoping for Everton at home but hopefully both teams get the final.

With all due respect I hope one of us does.

[Colly]

 

 

[Colly]

Referee trying to work out if penalties can be taken at the Chelsea end with the pathetic stewarding...

Oof. Bad few weeks for Trippier.

[Kyle]

Onana is an absolute spoon. Shocking pen.

[Szumi]

1 hour ago, Kyle said:

Onana is an absolute spoon. Shocking pen.

Yeah but at least it gave us this!

 

 

[DavidMarrio]

Bar conceding that was a near perfect performance. 

The young lads in Elliott, Jones and Quansah were brilliant. Gomez had a great game playing every defensice position. Gakpo and Salah getting goals will help and Nunez unlucky not to. 

 

We've been winning and not playing well and it resulted in what happened against the mancs so a great performance like that will be a boost for the players, Jurgen and the crowd. Need to bring that momentum to the game against Arsenal as they won't want this team showing up. 

[stokeriño]

"Told you a Chelsea final was inevitable," says my Liverpool-supporting friend. At 4-0 (4-1), I concede this. But the audacity of him to text me that at 2-0 (2-1)...

[Lineker]

At least that silly Friday night fixture will get rearranged now...

[Lineker]

Quote

The English Football League says it will keep two-legged semi-finals in the Carabao Cup for the 2024-25 season.

But BBC Sport understands the EFL is willing to change the format if it can strike a deal with the Premier League.

The EFL is frustrated the Premier League has not agreed to send more funds to the lower leagues.

EFL chairman Rick Parry told a Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee hearing last week that two-legged semis would not be scrapped without a deal.

"As it stands there is no agreement in place to make any changes to the Carabao Cup's two-legged semi-final format, which continues to provide significant financial benefit to EFL clubs," said EFL chief executive Trevor Birch as the EFL announced its 2024-25 calendar on Wednesday.

"The League remains committed to a review of the calendar, but any significant changes cannot be made unilaterally, and would need to come with significant levels of compensation and adopted as part of any new distribution deal with the Premier League and its clubs."

Even without a deal, the EFL privately accepts it has a problem fitting the tournament into the calendar.

Uefa's decision to expand its club competitions to 36 teams means European matches will be played in three of the midweeks presently used for the EFL Cup.

There could be a clash between the EFL Cup semi-final second leg and a round of Champions League and Europa League matches.

Meanwhile, it is understood that the Football Association has accepted replays are impractical in the FA Cup for the third and fourth rounds.

That format is also linked to a deal, which would include the fifth round moving back to a weekend date.

The semi-finals of the EFL Cup have been held over two legs since the tournament was created in 1961.

The Carabao Cup features all clubs from the EFL and Premier League in a knock-out format over seven rounds, before the semi-final is played over two legs, with the final held at Wembley Stadium.

Premier League clubs join in the second round, with those that have qualified for European competition doing so in the third.

 

[stokeriño]

Fair play to the EFL for making use of what bargaining chips they have.

[DavidMarrio]

Ticket and travel sorted for the final, only for us to find out we've got the worst side of the ground for pubs. All the tiny ones that'll be rammed. 

Gutted as we had a boss time last time out in the green man with the sun being out

[Lineker]

 

[The Lusophone]

The Injury final.

[stokeriño]

Probably our best possible line-up, based on recent performances. Amusing that the bench contains teenage potential-debutants in a cup final. 

 

[Hobo]

6 minutes ago, stokeriño said:

Probably our best possible line-up, based on recent performances. Amusing that the bench contains teenage potential-debutants in a cup final. 

 

Same for Liverpool really.

 

[Szumi]

All the questionable guys miss out. 6 of our 8 subs are 21 and under. 2 I believe could make their debut, including 16 year old Nyoni. We're cursed this year.

 

[Hobo]

19 minutes ago, Szumi said:

We're cursed this year.

It has been like that for everyone this year from what I understand.

Chelsea themselves have 9 players out through injury.

[Szumi]

7 minutes ago, Hobo said:

It has been like that for everyone this year from what I understand.

Chelsea themselves have 9 players out through injury.

Injuries have definitely been huge for a lot of teams this year, but I think the difference is clear between us and Chelsea. Outside of Bajcetic, all of our injuries are guys who you would expect to be starting today. For Chelsea, it's 2 - with an argument for a 3rd - guys who would be starters. It's an absolutely massive difference.

[Hobo]

6 minutes ago, Szumi said:

Injuries have definitely been huge for a lot of teams this year, but I think the difference is clear between us and Chelsea. Outside of Bajcetic, all of our injuries are guys who you would expect to be starting today. For Chelsea, it's 2 - with an argument for a 3rd - guys who would be starters. It's an absolutely massive difference.

by my count, the only players starting today who didn't feature in the 4-1 win over Chelsea in the league are Endo, Gravenberch and Kelleher. There's not a whole heap of a difference between the Chelsea XI from that day either.

[Baddar]

I did see that they're lighting the Wembley arch red in solidarity with Liverpool for being the only club to suffer injuries ever.