Carabao Cup Preview: Man United hosts Brighton as race for 4th round looms
By Luke Oluoch, September 16, 2026The Carabao Cup is set to enter the penultimate day of its third round of fixtures with Manchester United headlining Wednesday, September 16, 2026, clashes.
Michael Carrick, straight from a controversial 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Manchester derby, will be back at Old Trafford to welcome Brighton, while City will mark the final day of the third round fixtures a day after when they face Norwich City on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
Carabao Cup (9:45 pm)
Everton vs Wolves
Fleetwood Town vs Sheffield United
10:00 pm kick-off
Coventry City vs Aston Villa
Manchester United vs Brighton and Hove Albion.
Thursday, September 17, 2026.
Manchester City vs Norwich City (9:30 pm).
Reset mood
United are coming off a painful Manchester derby defeat, while Brighton head into Wednesday’s third-round tie after putting five goals past Coventry City.
For Michael Carrick, the competition offers an immediate opportunity to reset the mood, while for Fabian Hurzeler, it presents another chance to build on Brighton’s encouraging start.
With both managers expected to make changes, the players given an opportunity could have a major say in who reaches the fourth round.
United’s first domestic cup game of the season comes during a demanding period that already includes Premier League and Champions League commitments.
Carrick is faced with the task of tweaking his team as he did in the past UEFA win over Sabah FK, as he decides how much of his strongest XI is required to overcome Brighton.
With a reaction needed on the pitch, Brighton’s recent attacking form means an easy win remains a task for United, especially with the defense line yet to keep a clean slate this season.
Recent meetings between these sides have been difficult to predict, with neither team able to establish clear dominance, as the last five encounters have produced three Manchester United victories and two for Brighton.
Recent meetings
United won the most recent meeting 3-0 at the Amex in May, with Bruno Fernandes setting a Premier League record for assists in a season, though Brighton had claimed the previous meeting by winning 2-1 at Old Trafford in the FA Cup in January.
Meanwhile, United’s derby vanquishers will also be in action on Thursday as the fixtures feature Enzo Maresca’s team against Norwich City.
The encounter will get underway at 9:30 pm.
Fourth round draw
Meanwhile, focus will be firmly turned to the end of the United-Brighton clash as Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and the teams advancing from the third round eager to learn their next opponents in the Wednesday night draw.
The 11 teams confirmed so far for the next round include:
Arsenal,
Chelsea,
Newcastle,
Bournemouth,
Crystal Palace,
Sunderland,
Brentford,
Fulham,
Bradford,
Peterborough,
winners of Coventry vs Aston Villa, Everton vs Wolves, Fleetwood vs Sheffield United, Man United vs Brighton, and Man City vs Norwich.