This week, Manchester City is taking part in the Carabao Cup, shifting the focus away from the Premier League. The team, led by Pep Guardiola, enters the competition at the third round due to their European commitments. Their goal is to avoid any surprises as they face lower-league rivals. City will kick off the tournament on Tuesday night, shortly after a tough Premier League match against Arsenal. Their opponents in this round are Watford, a team from the Championship.
Guardiola is expected to make some changes to the squad for this match, but City is still considered the favorite to advance to the fourth round. If they succeed, they will learn about their next opponents during Wednesday night’s fourth-round draw.
However, there is a unique aspect to this game at the Etihad Stadium. Even though the Carabao Cup was the first English football competition to test VAR, the rules for its use are different. In the Carabao Cup, VAR is not utilized in the earlier stages to ensure fairness across all teams. On the other hand, in the FA Cup, VAR is used if the technology is available at the host venue.
Will VAR be used later in the Carabao Cup competition? Yes, the plan is to introduce VAR for the first time in this year’s competition at the semi-final stage. However, if a team without the technology reaches the final four, VAR will not be used until the final at Wembley Stadium. Both semi-finals will forego the use of VAR.
It’s interesting to see how the introduction of VAR at different stages of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup can impact the games. The use of technology in football has been a topic of debate, with some arguing that it improves the accuracy of decisions, while others believe it disrupts the flow of the game.
As technology continues to play a bigger role in football, it will be crucial for teams to adapt to these changes and for fans to understand how VAR can influence the outcome of matches. The upcoming matches in the Carabao Cup will provide more insights into the impact of VAR on the competition and how teams adjust their strategies accordingly.
