[article]Liverpool will face a trip to Leicester City in the third round of the Carabao Cup - just days before the Reds go there in the Premier League!
Today's 4.15am draw in Beijing, which finally started shortly after 4.35am and ended with the last tie tweeted out at 5.09am, gave Jurgen Klopp's men a tough away draw at The Foxes.
The Reds the go back to Leicester just days later for a Premier League clash.
After the debacle of the previous two rounds - Charlton were drawn out twice in the first round, while in the seeded second round some clubs were left unaware whether they were playing at home or away - this morning's draw was not televised.
Teams discovered their opponents via Twitter.
The Reds were in the third tie pulled out in the early morning draw.
Re-named the Carabao Cup, after the Thai energy drink brand who signed a three-year deal to sponsor the competition, the decision to hold the draw at such an unsympathetic hour for English fans - it was 11.15am in China - received widespread condemnation.
An EFL spokesman said: We understand that not everyone will agree on the timing of this week’s Round Three Draw, but in staging in this way it will give the competition both the maximum exposure in the UK, Chinese and South East Asian markets.
"This is not only an important factor for the EFL but also our new sponsors Carabao, who, like ourselves, plan to use the growing global appeal of the competition to reach new audiences.
"Once the logistics have been completed in Beijing, the UK will be waking up and the breakfast media will be able to report and get reaction on the 16 ties that will take place next month, which we feel is an interesting move away from the usual post-game evening draws."
Third round ties will be played in the week commencing September 18 - in between the visit of Burnley to Anfield on the Saturday and the Saturday tea-time trip to Leicester on September 23.[/article]
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