The competition is approaching the final stages, with teams soon narrowed down to the last four - here is how to watch the draw, plus everything else you need to know.
Unconvincing Chelsea squeezed past Cardiff City to land a place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals after a scrappy 3-1 victory over the League One outfit in South Wales. The Blues were woeful in the first-half, but the introduction of subsitutes Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto proved the difference between the two sides as Enzo Maresca’s side sealed the tie with three second-half goals.
Manchester City star Jeremy Doku has been ruled out of the club's Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Brentford and is set to miss the bulk of the festive programme. Pep Guardiola confirmed that the Belgian winger is still recovering from the leg injury that kept him out of City's win at Crystal Palace over the weekend, while also discussing the future of back-up goalkeeper James Trafford ahead of the January window.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has made a big Cole Palmer selection call ahead of the club's upcoming Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Cardiff City in midweek. In what has been an injury-hit 2025-26 campaign for the Blues and England playmaker, Palmer opened the scoring in Maresca’s side's 2-0 victory over Everton last weekend in the Premier League.
Arsenal and Crystal Palace have both made requests to the Premier League regarding fixture congestion after the Carabao Cup quarter-final draw caused a headache. The festive season is supposed to be the highlight of the English football calendar, with packed stadiums and Boxing Day drama. But this December, fixture scheduling has been a sticking point for the league authorities as teams complain of a lack of breathing space.
Arsenal booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 victory at home to Brighton on Wednesday night. Second-half goals from Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka saw Mikel Arteta's men into the next round, with several young players impressing for the Gunners after weathering an early Seagulls storm.
Manchester United supporters very much enjoyed Grimsby Town's downfall as the League Two side crashed out of the Carabao Cup after losing 5-0 against Brentford on Tuesday. Grimsby fans were on cloud nine only a couple of months ago after they dumped the Red Devils out of the competition following an epic penalty shootout win over the Premier League giants. Goalkeeper Andre Onana in particular had a nightmare outing and was later loaned out to Turkey.
In the battle of North Wales versus South Wales, Wrexham fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, with the latter advancing to the quarter-finals. A 71st-minute strike from former Manchester United defender Will Fish made the difference in the end, after Red Dragons substitute Kieffer Moore had earlier cancelled out Yousef Salech's opener for the Bluebirds.
Arsenal have been dealt with a fresh injury blow with star players William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli ruled out of action for their upcoming game with Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup. The duo, along with Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori, picked up problems in their last Premier League encounter against Crystal Palace, which the Gunners won 1-0 to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips won't feature in his starting lineup for their upcoming Carabao Cup clash against Swansea City, despite the midfielder returning to action in the same competition against Huddersfield Town in September. Phillips is hoping to get more game time after featuring for just seven minutes for the Cityzens in the 2025-26 campaign.
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