Carabao Cup Second Round: Newcastle and Tottenham Name Their Teams for Cup Night
The Carabao Cup second round got underway on 26 August 2026, with Newcastle United hosting West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham Hotspur entertaining Charlton Athletic under the lights at 7.45pm kick-offs across the board.
Newcastle's starting XI against West Brom featured Jaouen in goal behind a back four of Dedic, Thiaw, Botman and Hall. The midfield and attack was Steur, Ramsey, Murphy, Willock, Toure and Woltemade. The bench offered Premier League pedigree in the form of Schar, Barnes, Elanga and Miley, alongside Hornicek, Bamba, Wissa, Shahar and Neave. West Brom's line-up read: Ingram; Williams, Mepham, Campbell, Townsend; Whitwell, Nzingoula, Diakite, Price; Stewart and Morgan. Robert Madley of West Yorkshire took the whistle (The Guardian).
West Brom had been sweating on Mikey Johnston, who missed their win over Burnley with a minor ankle issue. Newcastle's official site reported a late call was to be made on his involvement (Newcastle United). In the event, Johnston was not in the starting XI.
Down in north London, Tottenham named Kinsky in goal behind Gray, van Hecke, Davies and Udogie for their tie against Championship side Charlton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Fernandes, Bentancur, Tel, Bergvall and Moore supported striker Solanke. The bench included new signing Savio — the Brazilian forward whose eligibility Spurs confirmed the day before (Tottenham Hotspur) — alongside Dubravka, Robertson, Danso, Gallagher, Richarlison, Porro, van de Ven and Williams-Barnet. Thomas Bramall of Sheffield refereed.
One subplot worth noting: teenager Mikey Moore started for Spurs despite being lined up for a loan move to Köln for the 2026-27 season, a detail confirmed in Spurs' match coverage (The Guardian). Charlton's XI featured a blend of familiar and less heralded names: Brooks, Sichenje, Koumetio, Mesik, Asiimwe, Knibbs, Ouma, Apter, Docherty, Alli and Mbick.
The Carabao Cup — English football's second-tier knockout competition, open to all 92 professional clubs from the top four divisions — rarely lacks for storylines at this stage. Round Two is where Premier League sides enter the draw, often fielding rotated squads that give younger and fringe players a stage. The prize is a place in Round Three, where 32 clubs will compete: the 23 winners from this round plus others entering the bracket. The Round Three draw was already set up, with details confirmed by the EFL on 25 August (EFL).
Elsewhere on the night, Preston North End hosted Everton in what the live coverage dubbed the David Moyes derby — Moyes having managed both clubs — with the fixture tracing its roots all the way back to the 1888-89 season. Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom told the press he hoped to catch Everton out, and tickets for the Deepdale tie sold out (Preston North End). Everton arrived on the back of a 2-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Bradford City also faced Burnley, with Martin Coy of County Durham as referee. Burnley's starting XI included Armando Broja and Zeki Amdouni in attack, while Bradford fielded Swan and Beesley up front. A night earlier, Coventry City — managed by Frank Lampard — beat Plymouth Argyle 3-1, with goals from Taiwo Awoniyi, Jack Rudoni, Ephron Mason-Clark and Victor Torp from the penalty spot. Plymouth are now managed by Tom Cleverley. The win was Coventry's first of the 2026-27 season. The only all-Premier League tie of the round, Nottingham Forest against Leeds United, was also part of the second-round draw (BBC Sport).
For fans in the United States, the Carabao Cup is streamed on Paramount+, with Newcastle v West Brom kicking off at 2:45pm ET and Preston v Everton at 3pm ET. What makes this round special is the collision of levels — Premier League money and Championship hunger sharing the same pitch, one bad night away from a result nobody saw coming.
