Why Chelsea & Spurs in the Carabao Cup second round but Arsenal & Man United not

The Carabao Cup continues this week with Chelsea and Tottenham starting their run to Wembley earlier than usual

Chelsea and Tottenham will begin their Carabao Cup campaigns this week in the second round, rather than their usual third-round start.

The Blues welcome League Two side AFC Wimbledon to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening looking to avoid a potential cup upset whilst Spurs face Premier League opposition in Fulham on Tuesday.

Both sides are arguably the two biggest names at this stage of the tournament. However, due to their disappointing performances last season, Mauricio Pochettino and Ange Postecoglou's teams have been forced to play an extra game.

Clubs that finished in the top seven of the Premier League last season - who are involved in European competitions this season - are all exempt from the competition until the third round. That means that Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa will all enter in the next round, as will West Ham who won the Europa Conference League last season.

It isn't the first time in Chelsea's recent history that they've been forced to play in the second round. On the back of a poor 2015/16 campaign, Antonio Conte's men faced Bristol Rovers toward the end of August.

For Spurs, they last played at this stage of the EFL Cup in 2009 under Harry Redknapp. The north Londoners finished eighth in the 2008/09 season and as a result, went on to face Doncaster Rovers in the second round, a game they won 5-1.

Both teams will be hoping to beat their respective opponents this week to put their name in the hat for the third round. The draw for that stage takes place on Wednesday, following Everton's clash with Doncaster at around