By Chris O'Brien
September 25 2004

Manchester United will play Crewe Alexandra in the third round of the League Cup. Dario Gradi and all at the Cheshire club will be expecting a 10,000 sell-out attendance for the lucrative cup-tie, with Alex in desperate need of a financial boost.

Manchester United will play Crewe Alexandra in the third round of the League Cup, following the draw on Wednesday night. Dario Gradi and all at the Cheshire club will be expecting a 10,000 sell-out attendance for the lucrative cup-tie, with Alex in desperate need of a financial boost.

The tie is likely to take place on October 25th, and is Crewe's reward for a penalty shoot-out victory over fellow Football League side Sunderland in the second round. United have reached the third round simply by qualifying for Europe, and have been joined by the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea. Will one of the big boys win the Carling-backed competition this term?

Sir Alex Ferguson will again be likely to shuffle his pack and field a severely weakened side at Gresty Road. It always disappoints me when we exit the League Cup early after fielding second-string sides, although it is always good to see some of the reserves and young starlets get a senior-side run-out. Players that could get a run-out include young striker Giuseppi Rossi, who has made a massive impression in the reserves this season.

The complete draw is as follows:

Portsmouth v Leeds
Chelsea v West Ham
Middlesbrough v Coventry
Doncaster v Nottingham Forest
Newcastle v Norwich
Millwall v Liverpool
Burnley v Aston Villa
Southampton v Colchester
Sheff Utd v Watford
Everton v Leicester/Preston
Charlton v Crystal Palace
Bolton v Tottenham
AFC Bournemouth v Cardiff City
Man City v Arsenal
Birmingham v Fulham
Crewe v Manchester United