Manchester United and Chelsea handed Championship opponents in Carabao Cup third-round after bizarre early morning Beijing draw

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Manchester United and Chelsea were handed Championship opponents in the third-round of the Carabao Cup, following a bizarre 4.15am draw for the English competition which took place in Beijing.

Defending champions United will host Burton Albion at Old Trafford, while Chelsea have been tasked with overcoming Nottingham Forest.

League One side Doncaster Rovers will make the trip to the Emirates Stadium hoping to cause an upset for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal side. 

The bizarrely-timed Carabao Cup draw has served up the ties for the competition's third round

Manchester City, who are in pursuit of West Brom's star defender Jonny Evans, will come up against the Baggies in a Hawthorns showdown.

Elsewhere Liverpool will travel to Leicester while Everton face one of last season's relegated sides, Sunderland, and Tottenham will host either Barnsley or Derby County.

All fixtures are set to take place in the week commencing Monday, September 18. 

This is the stage when the big boys come to play, with the teams who have qualified for Europe entering proceedings.

Last season's winners Manchester United must overcome Burton Albion to defend their trophy

An all Premier League showdown has been served up between Liverpool and Leicester City

Many English football fans will have been fast asleep as the balls were plucked out of the basket, with the draw given a start time of 4.15am BST due to its Beijing location.

As the event itself kicked off with a series of introductions, the draw didn't officially get rolling until 4.40am, with dedicated fans having to resort to following live updates via the cup's official Twitter account as no television or online coverage was offered.

The bizarre timing of the event is a result of the tournament sponsors - Thai energy drinks giant Carabao - wishing to promote the competition in the Asian market, thus expanding their reach.

This was defended by the EFL, who approved the plan as a market-growing opportunity bringing positive measures for the profile of the tournament.

Nottingham Forest will line up against Chelsea following their dramatic victory over Newcastle

The bizarre decision to host the draw in Beijing came at the request of cup sponsors Carabao

'Our decision to go to China is part of a strategic plan to grow the EFL internationally and specifically boost profile and exposure in ASEAN markets. A number of potentially significant meetings are being held around the draw that we envisage will deliver a benefit to all 72 clubs of the EFL,' the EFL had said.

'As part of those meetings the EFL will stage its first summit in Asia, where potential sponsors and investors from the region will gather to be briefed on the wider opportunities the EFL can provide,' the statement added.