Carabao Cup Round Four Draw: Big Clashes, Underdogs, and a Welsh Derby
The Carabao Cup has once again lived up to its billing as English football’s most unpredictable knockout tournament. With the Fourth Round draw now complete, the competition has thrown up a mixture of blockbuster Premier League ties, lower-league fairy tales, and one of the most emotional fixtures in Welsh football history.
The games are scheduled for the week beginning October 27, 2025, and every tie carries its own storyline from giants fighting for survival to minnows daring to dream.
Premier League Heavyweights Collide
The Fourth Round will not be kind to England’s elite. Arsenal vs Brighton, Newcastle vs Tottenham, Liverpool vs Crystal Palace, and Wolves vs Chelsea mean that at least four top-flight contenders will be eliminated before the quarterfinals. For Arsenal, Brighton represents a tricky hurdle the Seagulls have become one of the most tactically astute sides in English football. Liverpool, meanwhile, face Crystal Palace in a clash that echoes their Community Shield battle earlier this season. At Molineux, Chelsea must navigate a spirited Wolves side that thrives on unsettling the “Big Six.” And Newcastle’s meeting with Tottenham promises to be a heavyweight showdown, pitting two clubs with serious ambitions for silverware.
Editorially, these ties underline the Carabao Cup’s ruthless nature. Unlike league campaigns, there is no room for recovery here one bad night and the dream is over.
Every year, the Carabao Cup delivers its Cinderella stories, and Grimsby Town have seized that role this season. The League Two outfit, fresh from stunning Manchester United in the last round, now face Premier League opposition again in Brentford. For their supporters, the dream continues and the Bees will be wary of becoming the next headline upset.
Elsewhere, Swansea City take on the monumental challenge of Manchester City. For Pep Guardiola’s side, the tie may appear straightforward on paper, but Swansea will view it as the ultimate chance to etch themselves into cup folklore.
Wycombe Wanderers, hosting Fulham, also stand as potential giant-killers. A home crowd, a fearless squad, and the unpredictability of cup football mean Fulham must tread carefully.
These fixtures remind us why the Carabao Cup matters: it gives clubs outside the Premier League a platform to test themselves against the best, while fans dream of improbable glory.
Perhaps the most emotionally charged fixture of the draw is the all-Welsh showdown between Wrexham and Cardiff City. It is the first meeting between the clubs in more than two decades, and the significance extends beyond the pitch.
Wrexham’s Hollywood ownership has already propelled the club into global consciousness, but this tie is about heritage, rivalry, and pride. Cardiff, as Wales’ established powerhouse, will be desperate to reassert their dominance, while Wrexham see this as proof that their rise is no mere fairytale. The atmosphere at the Racecourse Ground will be electric, with the derby poised to be one of the standout moments of this Carabao Cup campaign.
This year’s Round Four lineup illustrates why the Carabao Cup endures as one of football’s most fascinating competitions. It is not just about silverware; it is about stories. It is about the Premier League giants who risk falling to hungry challengers. It is about smaller clubs chasing nights they will talk about for generations. And it is about local rivalries, like Wrexham vs Cardiff, that transcend sport to capture national attention.
As October approaches, the stakes grow sharper. For some managers, these games could define their seasons. For others, they will serve as platforms to blood young talent or to galvanize fanbases. But for football lovers, the message is clear: expect drama, expect surprises, and expect memories that will linger far beyond this round.
The Carabao Cup may not always command the prestige of the Premier League or Champions League, but in terms of unpredictability and passion, Round Four proves once again that it is unmatched.
