Wrexham Given Extremely Difficult Draw in Carabao Cup First Round

The Red Dragons are expected to focus on the Championship next season rather than a cup run.

Wrexham were defeated by Welsh rivals Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup last season. | Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Wrexham have been handed an unfavorable draw for the first round of next season’s Carabao Cup, with an away day at beaten Championship playoff finalists Middlesbrough on the horizon.

The first round of the cup is traditionally played during the week, but this season it has been moved to serve as the curtain-raiser for the new EFL campaign.

As a result, Wrexham will host travel to the Riverside Stadium on the weekend of August 7–9 before opening their Championship season away to Welsh rivals Cardiff City on Monday, August 17.

Phil Parkinson’s side will take on Sunderland in their final preseason friendly in Philadelphia on Sunday, August 2. The club has already revealed plans to use its first-round Carabao Cup tie as an additional preseason fixture to build fitness and sharpness ahead of the league campaign.

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The Red Dragons reached the fourth round of the League Cup—known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons—last season, matching their best run in the competition since 1978. However, they are not expected to prioritize a cup run this season, with the club’s primary focus firmly on securing promotion to the Premier League.

The first round is contested exclusively by EFL clubs from the Championship, League One and League Two. The regionalized second round then welcomes the 11 Premier League clubs not involved in European competition this season. The remaining nine Premier League clubs enter in the third round, joining the 23 winners from Round 2.

All matches prior to the semifinals are single-elimination ties. If scores are level after 90 minutes, the winner is determined by a penalty shootout.

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Carabao Cup To Be Used As Additional Friendly

Wrexham enjoyed a deep run in the Carabao Cup last season. | James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images

Wrexham kick off their summer schedule on Saturday, July 11, with a trip to Poland to face Wisła Kraków in the Polish club’s 120th anniversary match. They will then travel to Helsinki to take on Manchester United on Saturday, July 18. Following that fixture, the Welsh side will head to the United States for matches against Leeds United, Liverpool and Sunderland before returning home.

“The Carabao Cup game is going to be utilized as our last friendly,” Parkinson told The Leader. “That is not being disrespectful to the Carabao Cup, but we are going to have to use it that way because of the traveling and everything involved. I think everybody at the club understands that.

“We will only be back from America a week before that game, and we will use it to make sure everybody has the minutes they need heading into the league season. We will assess everyone during the tour in America, but the most important thing is making sure players have the right amount of minutes in their legs before the season starts.”

Last season, Wrexham faced Hull City in the first round of the competition just three days after their Championship opener. Had the schedule remained similar this year, Wrexham likely would have arranged a final domestic friendly during the weekend before the league season started anyway. Instead, that match now happens to be a competitive Carabao Cup fixture.

While some critics may accuse Wrexham of disrespecting the traditional League Cup by fielding a rotated side, it is worth noting that they effectively adopted the same approach last season. Six of the players who featured in the entertaining 3–3 draw with Hull City departed the club before the transfer deadline, and the decision likely would not attract as much controversy if it were not taking place in the team’s first official match of the campaign.

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