EFL confirm defending champions Newcastle United will be seeded in next year's EFL Cup competition

The EFL have announced the format of next season's Carabao Cup, as Newcastle United will look to defend their crown.

Newcastle United hoisted aloft the Carabao Cup trophy in March this year, ending a 56-year trophy drought and sending the Toon Army into raptures.

Not only did the Magpies beat their ultimate Premier League bogey team in the final in the form of Liverpool, but they also had a pretty hard route to Wembley.

Aside from AFC Wimbledon, it was Premier League opposition all the way, facing Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. Four of those teams were in the top four at one point or another in the season, with Liverpool winning the title and Arsenal finishing second. We earned that trophy.

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Newcastle will enter the Carabao Cup in Round 3 and will not be drawn against other clubs playing in Europe

Next season, Newcastle will have one fewer game if they are to go all the way again, as their involvement in the Champions League sees them enter the competition at the third round stage, as was the case for the European representatives last season.

Additionally, the nine clubs playing in Europe can not be drawn together in the third round, so Newcastle should avoid a big game in round three.

We may be benefiting this year, but we weren't keen on this approach last season, and we aren't so much now either.

The EFL haven't just made it easier for the top clubs, but also harder for the bottom clubs

We understand the reasons behind allowing the clubs competing in Europe to enter the competition at a later round, and we don't really have a problem with that aspect.

It does seem unfair that those teams can't be drawn against each other. They already have an advantage by entering later, so why make their draw easier too?

We can't change it, though, so we'll take what we're getting. Anything that makes it easier to defend the crown.

The BBC reports that, in addition to keeping the European clubs separate, the EFL have also introduced a preliminary round which sees the bottom two sides in League Two face off against the two sides promoted from the National League to fight for a place in the competition. It's all going a bit mental.