Rule changes as Stags prepare for Friday's Carabao Cup draw

Mansfield Town will find out who their Carabao Cup first round opponents will be when the draw is made this Friday morning.

But one thing they do know if that the game will not be going to extra-time as EFL clubs have voted to go straight to penalty kicks after 90 minutes if the tie is not settled.

And those penalties will revert back to the traditional method of taking spot kicks in turn after last season’s experiment of the ‘ABBA system’.

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EFL clubs decided that withdrawing the additional 30 minutes of play would directly address any additional fatigue issues that are occasionally caused when the midweek ties go beyond the traditional 90-minute period.

A statistical analysis was presented that demonstrated how almost 85 per cent of matches ended in normal time over a three-year period, without the additional period being required, and as a result clubs have supported the new approach.

In the event that scores are tied after 90 minutes, penalty kicks will be taken immediately to determine a winner.

However, the format of penalties in the competition will revert to the traditional format, which will be applicable in all EFL competitions.

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Clubs also voted to remove the seeding arrangements from the first two rounds of the Carabao Cup, though round one will remain regionalised into North and South sections.

The EFL also confirmed that VAR can be used in next season’s competition at all fixtures played at a Premier League stadium.

Steve McManaman, Louis Saha and Dennis Wise are preparing to head to Vietnam for the round one draw, set to take place from Vietnam’s largest city, Ho Chi Minh City on Friday at 10.45am UK time.

The three former EFL Cup winners will join representatives from the EFL and competition partner Carabao Energy Drink to unveil the 35 round one ties, with live text coverage available on the Carabao Cup twitter feed and EFL.com.

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It is the second successive season that Carabao Cup draws have taken place overseas, with events being staged in Bangkok and Beijing last season as part of the EFL’s continued efforts to build the value of the competition outside the UK.

EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey will be present in Vietnam, alongside Carabao Energy Drink CEO Sathien Setthasit, in a country where football is immensely popular amongst its population of 95 million people and is also a key market for Carabao Energy Drink.

Seventy EFL clubs will feature in the new-look draw and matches are scheduled to take place on the week commencing 13th August.

West Bromwich Albion are included, while Championship newcomers Stoke City and Swansea City will join the competition in Round Two alongside the Premier League clubs that are not competing in Europe.

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EFL Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey, said: “A principle aim of our partnership with Carabao has always been to promote the competition internationally, taking high-profile activities such as the competition draws overseas to support the EFL’s international growth strategy and raise awareness of the competition in Carabao’s key territories.

“There is no requirement for us to take draws overseas, but there is an absolute commitment to building the value of our competition outside the UK and the market in Vietnam should help the EFL and Carabao meet our shared ambitions.

“The Round One draw is always significant, mapping out the opening stages of a competition that continues to attract a large audience at home and abroad, with almost 1.5 million people attending Carabao Cup matches last season and games shown across the world in over 150 regions.”

Carabao Energy Drink CEO Sathien Setthasit, said: “In the last 12 months, Carabao Energy Drink has truly established itself as a global soft drinks brand, and the success of our partnership to date with the EFL has played a big part in helping us develop our international footprint.

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“The 2018/19 Carabao Cup promises to bring football fans around the world plenty of drama and excitement, which is why we’re looking forward to kicking off this season’s competition in style by staging the first round draw in Vietnam.”

Mansfield Town will be ball 19 in the North section draw. Neighbours Nottingham Forest are ball 22 and Notts County 23.