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Wrexham are set to use the opening round of the Carabao Cup as their final preseason tune-up ahead of the upcoming Championship campaign.
The Red Dragons currently have five official summer friendlies lined up and plan to treat the League Cup—commercially known as the Carabao Cup—as a sixth preparatory outing before the league season gets underway.
Wrexham open their summer schedule on Saturday, July 11, with a trip to Poland to face Wisła Kraków in the Polish club's 120th anniversary celebration match. They will then travel to Helsinki to take on Manchester United on Saturday, July 18. After that fixture, the Welsh club will head to the United States for games against Leeds United, Liverpool, and Sunderland before making their way back home.
Phil Parkinson's squad will play their last scheduled preseason game against Sunderland on Sunday, August 2, before the Carabao Cup kicks off the following weekend, with first-round ties due to be played between Friday, August 7, and Sunday, August 9. The Championship season then commences the week after, with fixtures scheduled from Friday, August 14, through Sunday, August 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 plan to use the Carabao Cup first round as a chance to rotate their squad and continue developing fitness ahead of the new Championship season. It is no secret that the Red Dragons' main priority will be the league, with the club fully focused on chasing promotion to the Premier League.
The Welsh club has also been somewhat disadvantaged by this season's revised football calendar, with the Carabao Cup now starting before league action rather than after it, as has generally been the case in recent years.
Last season, Wrexham faced Hull City in the competition's first round just three days after their Championship opener. Had the schedule remained similar this year, Wrexham would likely have arranged a final domestic friendly during the weekend before the league season began anyway. Instead, that slot is now occupied by a competitive Carabao Cup tie.
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 showing a lack of respect for the traditional League Cup by fielding a rotated lineup, it is worth pointing out that they effectively took the same approach last season. Six of the players who appeared in the entertaining 3–3 draw against Hull City left the club before the transfer deadline, and the decision would likely draw far less attention if it were not occurring in the team's first competitive fixture of the season.
The draw for the Carabao Cup first round will be held on Thursday, June 25—the same day the Championship fixtures are announced. The opening two rounds of the competition are regionalized, meaning Wrexham could be drawn against any club placed in the northern section of the draw.