Introduction to the rules of the English League Cup: The competition is divided into seven rounds. Except for the semi-finals, the winner is decided in a single knockout format. Each team will draw lots to determine their opponents and home and away games. If the game is tied within 90 minutes, the winner will be decided directly by penalty kicks.
The semi-finals will be played over two rounds, home and away. Each team will play once at home. The team that scores more goals in the two games will advance. There is no away goal advantage in this cup. If the two games have the same number of goals, the winner will be decided in overtime. If the number of goals scored in overtime is the same, the away team will advance with the advantage of away goals. If there is still no winner, a penalty shootout will be used to decide the winner.
The participating teams in the first round include all English Championship, English League One and English League Two teams. Except for the teams participating in European competitions, the other Premier League teams will join in the second round. join in. The League Cup final is usually held at Wembley Stadium in London at the end of February each year. The winner gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League play-offs.
Competition level
The Football League, founded in 1886, originally controlled all 92 professional clubs in England at all levels. However, in 1992, 20 teams in the First Division rebelled and established the Football League. After the parallel Super League, there are only 72 clubs left under its umbrella.
Since the level of the club in charge is not the highest, the weight of words is naturally not as much as before. If you want the top clubs in the Premier League to participate in the League Cup, you naturally have to look at the faces of others.
The status of the League Cup has always been behind the Premier League (English League One before 1992) and the FA Cup. For the top clubs in the Premier League, the League Cup is just a game for training substitutes.
Of course, for these clubs, it is helpless to ignore the League Cup, because in addition to participating in the league, FA Cup, and League Cup, they also have to participate in the lucrative Champions League or Europa League.
If the results are very good and the team continues to compete, the number of games in a nine-month season can reach nearly 70, and there can be nearly two games in a week, and the players are not tough. Therefore, some Premier League giants will send a large number of substitute players and even youth teams to participate in the game.