Aston Villa draw Middlesbrough in Carabao Cup

While you were snug as a bug in a rug in your bed this morning, Beijing presumably played host to the draw for the third round of the EFL Cup where Aston Villa has drawn Middlesbrough to be played at Villa Park which will be the second such matchup a week apart.

The matchup is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 19^th (7.45pm kickoff) sandwiched between a visit to Barnsley and a matchup against Nottingham Forest at Villa Park, matches which Villa should be looking to secure a lions share of points. Aston Villa and Boro already have a matchup dated September 12th at Villa Park.

The Smoggies entered the Carabao Cup in round two and secured a 3-0 victory against Scunthorpe led by old friend Adama Traore.

In prior round victories away at Colchester United and at Villa Park against Wigan Athletic, Steve Bruce has opted to mix both youth and experience. Young players like Callum O’Hare, Jake Doyle Hayes and Mitch Clark have shown they’re ready to pitch in while holdovers like Gary Gardner, Tommy Elphick and Ross McCormack have shown they are still fit for any suitors looking for loans or to make a match during the last days of the transfer window. Scott Hogan has three goals across the two cup matches and looked likely to be the second Villan in a week to bag a hat trick by scoring two in the first half against Wigan on Tuesday.

While scoring eight goals over the past week, Steve Bruce has shown that he’s able to put some excitement in this squad and it’s a hope that by the time Villa kick off against Middlesbrough the club will have retained current form.

Aston Villa were one of fourteen Championship squads that made it to the round and were more likely to draw one of the 17 Premier League outfits. The Rovers of both Doncaster and Bristol were the lone representatives of League One and will look to make deeper runs away against Arsenal and Wolverhampton respectively. Meanwhile, reigning champions Manchester United will face Burton Albion at Old Trafford.