Carabao Cup draw: Man Utd, Liverpool and Man City learn quarter-final fixtures and dates

Jurgen Klopp suggested he could pull his side out of the competition if a date cannot be found for the quarter final, after the club reached the last eight via a penalty shoot-out following a 10-goal thriller against Arsenal.

As Champions League winners, Liverpool will be playing in the last four of the Club World Cup in Qatar on 18 December, with the Carabao Cup quarter-finals scheduled for the same week.

The EFL released a statement in reply to the Liverpool manager’s comments, saying: “The EFL is in discussions with Liverpool to identify an alternative date given the club’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup competition.”

Colchester have secured a lucrative trip to Manchester United, and the League Two club will be looking to cause further upset, having already knocked out top-division sides Tottenham and Crystal Palace in the competition’s earlier rounds.

Manchester City, in search of their third successive league cup trophy, will travel to Oxford, after easing past Southampton on Tuesday in the fourth round.

Leicester will travel to Everton, who have never won the competition, after a 3-1 win at Burton on Tuesday.

The quarter-finals, aside from the Liverpool fixture, are set to take place the week starting December 16.

Interesting…

09:05: Just spotted an interesting if not quite bitter tweet about Manchester City's favourable cup draws in recent years.

Matt Law has tweeted City's cup draws in 2018/19.

Champions League: Lyon, Hoffenheim, Shakhtar, Schalke, Tottenham, Dinamo Zagreb, Atalanta.

FA Cup: Rotherham, Burnley, Newport, Swansea, Brighton, Watford.

League Cup: Oxford, Fulham, Leicester, Burton Albion, Chelsea, Preston, Southampton and Oxford.

Carabao Cup draw LIVE: Man Utd and Liverpool quarter-final fixtures (Image: GETTY)

The Draw…

08:55: Here we go!

Oxford United vs Manchester City

Manchester United vs Colchester

Aston Villa vs Liverpool

Everton vs Leicester

Initial thoughts? Honestly? Underwhelming. But I suppose that pretty-much, barring a couple of giant-killings, sees Manchester United and Manchester City into the semi-finals. Aston Villa might just fancy their chances if Jurgen Klopp decides to field a weakened side again. Everton vs Leicester looks to be the only 50/50 tie.

Carabao Cup draw LIVE: Man Utd and Liverpool quarter-final fixtures (Image: GETTY)

Right…

08:50: I'm starting to think Zoe Ball doesn't really want to be doing this draw y'know… still no mention of…

Oh wait… David James has arrived! And now a guy called Mike to conduct the draw! It's happening – standby!

The odds

08:45: I was having a quick check of the Carabao Cup outright winner odds before the fixtures last night.

Manchester United were 16/1 to lift the trophy but that price has totally gone now. The Red Devils are 6/1 third favourites.

Manchester City lead the way at around evens with most bookmakers. Liverpool second at 7/2. Then come Leicester at 7/1 while Everton are 10/1.

A single pound on Colchester will win you £500 – £250 more than a quid on Oxford, which seems odd.

Carabao Cup draw LIVE: Man Utd and Liverpool quarter-final fixtures (Image: GETTY)

More waiting…

08:40: Just ten minutes until the draw starts on BBC Radio 2. We're being treated to Electric Light Orchestra's Evil Woman at the moment, which is a fairly bearable song… Now time for the weather…

Zoe Ball yet to mention the actual draw and there's been no sign of David James. Not too unhappy with the second part of that statement.

Carabao Cup draw LIVE: Man Utd and Liverpool quarter-final fixtures (Image: GETTY)

Jurgen Klopp threat

08:35: This is surely a bluff from Jurgen Klopp, right?

The Liverpool manager has warned the EFL he will quit the Carabao Cup if their packed fixture schedule is not treated sympathetically.

Match dates for the last-eight round are scheduled for the week commencing December 16, when Liverpool will be in Qatar at the FIFA Club World Cup.

“We will not be the victim of this problem. If they don’t find a proper date for us, then we cannot play the next round and whoever is our opponent will go through – or Arsenal play them," Klopp said.

Carabao Cup draw LIVE: Man Utd and Liverpool quarter-final fixtures (Image: GETTY)

Those pesky ball numbers

08:30: I have absolutely no idea why the ball numbers are still in existence. Surely in this situation we could just print the name of the sides?

I just said that to a colleague, who thought that the financial outlay would stop the FA from doing it. If anyone has the answer to this BIG QUESTION then please do let me know.

Anyway, the ball numbers are: 1 Everton, 2 Aston Villa, 3 Manchester City, 4 Leicester, 5 Colchester, 6 Man Utd, 7 Oxford, 8 Liverpool.

The wait continues…

08:20: Well I've just tuned in to Zoe Ball's Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 for the very first time in my life. And I can say with some assurance, it'll be the last.

She's currently conducting a quiz with a man named Michael from Nottingham… And you know what – he's won. Not quite sure what he's won but everyone seemed very happy.

Carabao Cup draw LIVE: Man Utd and Liverpool quarter-final fixtures (Image: GETTY)

Morning…

08:15: Hello everyone and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the Carabao Cup draw.

Naturally Carabao are continuing their long-standing tradition of doing the draws in a completely bizarre and unnecessary fashion.

They've staged one in Beijing at 4.15am UK time, paired Charlton with both Exeter and Cheltenham in the same round, delayed a live stream by over 90 minutes and the pièce de résistance was having John Barnes and Ray Parlour conduct the draw at the Colindale branch of Morrisons.

So instead of doing it immediately after last night's game – the draw will take place on Zoe Ball's Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 at 8.45am.

Former Liverpool and Aston Villa goalkeeper David James will be in the studio to help conduct the draw. What a time to be alive…

Carabao Cup draw LIVE: Man Utd and Liverpool quarter-final fixtures (Image: GETTY)

About last night…

A thrilling Carabao Cup fourth-round game had a dramatic finish as Liverpool beat Arsenal 5-4 on penalties after Divock Origi’s added-time equaliser made it 5-5 and forced the shoot-out at Anfield.

The game was open from the start and Liverpool took a sixth-minute lead after Shkodran Mustafi turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Rhian Brewster.

The lead did not last long however, and Arsenal struck three times without reply, through Lucas Torreira and two goals from Gabriel Martinelli.

James Milner pulled one back for the home side from the penalty spot before half-time, before Arsenal’s two-goal buffer was restored by Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the 54th minute.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain continued his recent form with a long-distance strike before Origi equalised in the 62nd minute, only for Joe Willock to restore the lead for the visitors with 20 minutes left.

Liverpool left it late to find the equaliser, but Origi’s acrobatic effort in the fourth minute of added time took the game to penalties, with Curtis Jones scoring the final penalty in front of the Kop.

A long-range free-kick from Marcus Rashford fired Manchester United past Chelsea.

The England striker had already opened the scoring from the penalty spot before his unstoppable 30-yard drive secured a 2-1 win for the Red Devils.

Chelsea had equalised after Rashford’s first, through Michy Batshuayi, but were unable to find a second leveller as the visitors clinched a place in the last eight.

Ahmed Elmohamady grabbed a second-half winner for Aston Villa to clinch a 2-1 victory over Wolves and see his side through to the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 2012.

Wolves’ Patrick Cutrone had cancelled out Anwar El Ghazi’s opener before the Italian forward missed a good chance to level for the second time as the home side held on for a place in Thursday’s draw.

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