John Barnes will be drawing the balls at Morrisons
John Barnes will be drawing the balls at Morrisons

Carabao Cup: Branch of Morrisons to host draw for the first round on Thursday


A London branch of the supermarket Morrisons has been announced as the venue for the Carabao Cup first round draw.

Former England internationals John Barnes and Ray Parlour will select the balls on Thursday at the Colindale store, around three miles from Wembley Stadium.

It is the latest in a string of surprising locations for the draw, which include Bangkok, Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Retired midfielder Parlour, who won the competition with Arsenal in 1993, told efl.com: "Hosting the draw in a supermarket as fans go about their daily lives provides them with a great opportunity to engage with the competition."

A series of technical faults blighted the Bangkok draw in 2017, with incorrect fixtures shown on an on-screen graphic.

Fans will once again be able to watch the draw live, either in store or on the Carabao Cup Facebook page.

Manchester City go into the competition as defending champions after beating Chelsea on penalties in February's final at Wembley.

This season's first-round draw, which will produce 35 fixtures, will include cup debutants Salford City.

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