Wrexham are planning to use the first round of the Carabao Cup as their final preseason fixture ahead of the new Championship campaign.
The Red Dragons currently have five official summer friendlies scheduled and intend to treat the League Cup—known for sponsorship reasons as the Carabao Cup—as a sixth preparatory match before the league season begins.
Wrexham kick off their summer schedule on Saturday, July 11, with a trip to Poland to face Wisła Kraków in the Polish club’s 120th anniversary match. They will then travel to Helsinki to take on Manchester United on Saturday, July 18. Following that fixture, the Welsh side will head to the United States for matches against Leeds United, Liverpool, and Sunderland before returning home.
Phil Parkinson’s side will play their final scheduled preseason fixture against Sunderland on Sunday, Aug. 2, before the Carabao Cup begins the following weekend, with first-round ties set to be played between Friday, Aug. 7, and Sunday, Aug. 9. The Championship season then gets underway the following week, with matches scheduled from Friday, Aug. 14, through Sunday, Aug.16.
“The Carabao Cup game is going to be utilized as our last friendly,” Parkinson told The Leader. “That is not being disrespectful to the Carabao Cup, but we are going to have to use it that way because of the traveling and everything involved. I think everybody at the club understands that.
“We will only be back from America a week before that game, and we will use it to make sure everybody has the minutes they need heading into the league season. We will assess everyone during the tour in America, but the most important thing is making sure players have the right amount of minutes in their legs before the season starts.”
Why Wrexham Plan To Rotate
Wrexham intend to use the first round of the Carabao Cup as an opportunity to experiment with their squad and continue building fitness levels ahead of the new Championship season. It is no secret that the Red Dragons’ primary focus will be the league, with the club fully committed to pursuing promotion to the Premier League.
The Welsh side has also been somewhat disadvantaged by this season’s revised football calendar, with the Carabao Cup beginning before league play rather than after it, as has typically been the case in recent years.
Last season, Wrexham faced Hull City in the first round of the competition just three days after their Championship opener. Had the schedule remained similar this year, Wrexham likely would have arranged a final domestic friendly during the weekend before the league season started anyway. Instead, that match now happens to be a competitive Carabao Cup fixture.
Wrexham Lineup in Carabao Cup First Round Last Season
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Arthur Okonkwo |
| Center back | Aaron James (Subbed for Lewis O'Brien) |
| Center back | Dan Scarr |
| Center back | Eoghan O'Connell |
| Right wingback | Ryan Longman (Subbed for Ryan Barnett) |
| Center midfield | Harry Ashfield (Subbed for Josh Windass) |
| Center midfield | George Evans |
| Left wingback | James McClean |
| Attacking midfield | Elliot Lee |
| Center forward | Ryan Hardie (Subbed for Ollie Palmer) |
| Center forward | Sam Smith (Subbed for Jack Marriott) |
While some critics may accuse Wrexham of disrespecting the traditional League Cup by fielding a rotated side, it is worth noting that they effectively adopted the same approach last season. Six of the players who featured in the entertaining 3–3 draw with Hull City departed the club before the transfer deadline, and the decision likely would not attract as much controversy if it were not taking place in the team’s first official match of the campaign.
The draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup will take place on Thursday, June 25—the same day the Championship fixtures are released. The opening two rounds of the competition are regionalized, meaning Wrexham could face any side placed in the northern section of the draw.
