EFL Cup PREVIEW 16 Sep 2026: Fleetwood Town chase Carabao Cup history against Sheffield United as Manchester United host Brighton

Fleetwood Town can reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup for the first time in the club's history if they beat Sheffield United at Highbury Stadium, and they arrive as the last League Two club left in the competition, unbeaten in all competitions this season after home wins over Chesterfield and Shrewsbury Town in which captain Ched Evans, a former Sheffield United forward, scored in both rounds. "They're a Championship team managed by an amazing manager who has won so much throughout his career," said Fleetwood head coach Matt Lawlor of Chris Wilder's side. Sheffield United go into the tie off a 1-0 home defeat to Wolves, with left-back Sam McCallum a doubt after what Wilder called an "unbelievable whack" in that game, and Wilder has questioned the volume of fixtures his side are being asked to play, pointing towards a heavily rotated line-up at Highbury.

At Old Trafford, Manchester United's first domestic cup tie under permanent head coach Michael Carrick brings a possible reunion: Carlos Baleba, signed from Brighton over the summer, has been targeting a return from an injury sustained before pre-season, with Wednesday floated as a possible date for what would be his first United appearance against the club he left. United go into the game off a 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City, who finished with ten men after an early red card for Phil Foden. Brighton, who beat Coventry City 5-0 in the league only three days earlier, travel without Kaoru Mitoma, Evan Ferguson, Yankuba Minteh, Jack Hinshelwood, Mats Wieffer and Michael Svoboda, all missing through injury.

Coventry City, fresh from that 5-0 defeat, host an Aston Villa side who have taken one point from their opening four Premier League games and lost 1-2 at home to Nottingham Forest at the weekend. Coventry are without a win in four league matches this season, having scored none and conceded ten, and will be missing the suspended Taiwo Awoniyi, sent off for violent conduct against Brighton, while Kaine Kesler-Hayden, signed from Villa last year, remains a long-term absentee and misses the chance to face his former club. Villa are also without Brian Madjo, Leon Goretzka and Amadou Onana through injury, though Matty Cash and Pau Torres are only doubts.

Everton host Wolves at the Hill Dickinson Stadium looking for revenge after Wolves eliminated them from the same competition last season, with David Moyes expected to make wholesale changes, as many as seven, to protect his squad for Saturday's visit of Ipswich Town. Everton reached this round with a 4-0 win at Preston North End, Thierno Barry scoring a hat-trick, but come into Wednesday off a goalless draw at Tottenham Hotspur and will be without the injured Christian Norgaard. Wolves, since relegated to the Championship, have already shown their hand on rotation, making eight changes for their second-round win at Sheffield Wednesday, and head coach Cesar Peixoto is expected to prioritise the league again, with defender Nasser Djiga likely rested ahead of Sunday's Black Country derby against West Bromwich Albion.