League Cup: Manchester rivals to meet in fourth round

Rival managers Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola will meet again sooner than expected as Manchester United and Manchester City will clash in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. The match will be played at Old Trafford in the last week of October. The first meeting between the two managers in England was a triumph for Guardiola as his side won 2-1 earlier in September. That result was the starting point of a losing streak for Manchester United, a streak that only came to an end this week when the Red Devils defeated League One outfit Northampton in the third round of the League Cup. Liverpool, who reached the final last season, will play against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Road, while Chelsea will have to go through a local derby with West Ham at the London Stadium. Arsenal will take on Reading at home after a comfortable 4-0 third-round win over Nottingham Forest. Hull City, who pulled off a late win over Stoke, will face Bristol City, while Sunderland will play Southampton at St Mary's. There will also be two ties featuring only Championship sides: Leeds versus Norwich and Preston North End at Newcastle. Manchester City won the League Cup last season thanks to a victory on penalties over Liverpool in the final. The Reds remain the most successful team in the competition though, having won it eight times. The winner of the League Cup, named EFL Cup this season, will gain automatic access to next season's Europa League, regardless of their league performance. If the winner is already qualified for an European competition then the place is transferred to the highest-placed Premier League team. Arsenal are currently the favourites to win this season's EFL cup, they are 4/1 at Bet365 to win the competition while Liverpool are 5/1 to triumph.