Sky Sports viewers left baffled by new Carabao Cup rule as 'pre-draw' takes place

Fans have been reacting on social media after a pre-draw took place for the Carabao Cup.

On Wednesday night, the draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup will take place after the conclusion of Grimsby Town against Manchester United.

So far, Premier League sides such as Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brentford and Burnley have all advanced to the next round.

However, Leeds United and Sunderland suffered defeat against lower league opposition.

Ahead of kick-off between Grimsby and United, fans were left confused as a pre-draw took place to determine whether Premier League sides, that are also playing in European competitions, will play their third round tie at home or away.

The results were that five out of eight top flight teams in Europe will play away, with three being drawn at home.

Reacting to the pre-draw, one fan said: "That carabao cup pre draw is the perfect embodiment of ‘games gone’."

Another tweeted: "Ridiculous Carabao Cup draw means #NUFC have a 5/8 chance of being away from home in the Third Round."

A third fan added: "What's this pre draw cup draw?"

Someone else wrote: "This new carabao cup draw format is a farce."

A fifth commented: "Wow this Carabao cup draw is long winded…"

Another fan said: "Carabao Cup draw. What a load of malarkey!"

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Why was there a Carabao Cup pre-draw?

Explaining the reasoning behind the pre-draw, Sky Sports said: "Teams competing in Europe cannot be drawn against another Champions League or Europa League side, in line with EFL regulations.

"For the main draw, the EFL will use two separate bowls: one containing the eight clubs involved in the Champions League and Europa League, and the other with the remaining 24 teams.

"A pre-draw will first determine whether the European sides will play their third-round matches at home or away. Once that is settled, the first eight ties will be drawn by alternating between the two bowls to decide which teams will face the European entrants."