Villa made it all the way to the final of the Carabao Cup last season, finishing runners up in a suprisingly tense defeat to Manchester City (2-1).
With the Premier League season now just a matter of days away, we have also seen the draw for this seasons competition, with Villa entering at the second round stage.
Villa have drawn Burton Albion, with Dean Smith needing to take the squad away to The Pirelli Stadium.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe tie will take place on either the 15th or 16th of September.
Villa, who are treated as being in the ‘Northern’ part of the draw now enter alongside other Premier League sides, including some local interest with Albion and Wolves included.
Blues won’t be a fixture in the competition, having crashed out the competition in the first round in humuliating fashion, losing 1-0 to lowly League 2 Cambridge United side at St Andrews.
For Villa, the EFL Cup remains one of the most realistic opportunities for meaningful silverware. Whilst viewed as some as a unnecessary distraction, a cup run can be both galvanising for a squad, with the reward of Wembley always appealing.
First though, Villa must overcome Burton Albion. The League 1 side, managed by Jake Buxton, actually beat us in the competition in 2018, beating a much changed Villa side on penalties. We would, of course, hope for a better outcome this time around.
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