Manchester City to face Bradford, Liverpool drawn against Bournemouth in Carabao Cup quarters

Manchester City will face Bradford and Liverpool will take on Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Friday’s draw, held after the last-16 matches, settled the opponents for both clubs. The ties are scheduled for the week beginning December 14. City and Liverpool are the only members of the “Big Six” still in the competition at this stage.

The quarter-final line-up is not yet complete: the last-16 programme is due to finish on Thursday with Everton against Newcastle. The two ties involving City and Liverpool are already set. Manchester City, described as the defending champions and linked with Enzo Maresca, will host Bradford. Liverpool will meet Bournemouth, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

Earlier results offer a picture of how several teams reached this point. Liverpool eliminated Tottenham 3-1 in the third round. In that same stage, Brighton knocked Manchester United out with a 3-2 win. Further along the route to the quarter-finals, Liverpool needed a penalty shootout to get past Chelsea, while Bournemouth advanced with a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa. Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola’s former side, will therefore come into the tie after a convincing win.

Manchester City also needed penalties to beat Brighton. Bradford, meanwhile, secured its place by defeating Peterborough 2-0. Those results have produced a City-Bradford tie and a meeting between Liverpool and Bournemouth.

The week beginning December 14 will be the next stage of the competition for these sides. Liverpool’s draw brings it up against Andoni Iraola’s former team; for Manchester City, Bradford stands between the club and another step in its title defence. The final last-16 match, Everton-Newcastle, will complete the quarter-final picture.