MIDDLESBROUGH and Sunderland will discover the identity of their Carabao Cup first-round opponents when the draw takes place on Thursday afternoon.

The first-round draw is set to take place at 2.30pm on Thursday, the same day that the Championship fixtures for the 2023-24 season are released at 9am.

The draw, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, will be divided into Northern and Southern sections, with both Boro and Sunderland guaranteed to be facing northern opposition in the first round.

There will be no Premier League clubs involved in the first round, with only teams from the Championship, League One and League Two featuring.

The Carabao Cup first round will take place in the week commencing August 7, which is the week directly after the first round of Championship fixtures.