Manchester City and Liverpool to clash in EFL Cup fourth round

EFL Cup holders Liverpool will go up against fellow Premier League giants Manchester City in the fourth round of the competition.

Liverpool needed penalties to get past League One side Derby County on Wednesday, while City have already seen off top-flight rivals in Chelsea thanks to a 2-0 win.

But the two were paired together in Thursday’s draw, meaning there will be at least one major casualty in the fourth round, with games due to take place just a few days after the World Cup final.

If City can see off Liverpool, they will fancy their chances of going all the way once again, having won the EFL Cup six times in the past nine seasons.

Four of those successes have come since Pep Guardiola took charge, and one more will see them equal Liverpool’s all-time record of nine EFL Cup triumphs.

Your confirmed Round Four draw #EFL | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/gSl9qEp1Mn

— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) November 10, 2022

Manchester United booked their place in the draw with a thrilling 4-2 win over Aston Villa on Thursday, and they will be confident of a more straightforward route through the next round after drawing Championship side Burnley, now managed by City great Vincent Kompany.

Newcastle United and Bournemouth will contest an all-Premier League tie, while Blackburn Rovers await Nottingham Forest.

League Two side Gillingham, the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, face a trip to Premier League opposition in Wolves.

Lincoln City of League One also have a big away day in front of them as they go to Southampton, while another third-tier side – MK Dons – will play host to Leicester City.

Charlton Athletic, the only remaining London-based club, welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to The Valley after the Seagulls eliminated Arsenal.

All matches will be played in the week commencing December 19.

EFL Cup fourth-round draw in full:

Wolves v Gillingham

Southampton v Lincoln City

Blackburn Rovers v Nottingham Forest

Newcastle United v Bournemouth

Manchester City v Liverpool

Manchester United v Burnley

MK Dons v Leicester City

Charlton Athletic v Brighton and Hove Albion