The Blues are the reigning Champions, having defeated Arsenal 3-0 at Wembley Stadium back in February, courtesy of goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva.
When will Pep Guardiola’s men enter this year’s competition? What rules have been amended? When are the early rounds? Discover all below...
Key dates
Round one: Week commencing Monday 13 August
Second round draw: Thursday 16 August, 7pm BST
Round two: Week commencing Monday 27 August
Round three (City enter): Week commencing Monday 24 September
Round four: Week commencing Monday 29 October
Quarter-finals: Week commencing Monday 17 December
Semi-finals: Week commencing Monday 7 January and Monday 21 January
Final: Sunday 24 February
Rule changes
No extra time
In the event of a draw in 90 minutes, matches (including the Semi-finals, which were previously decided by an Away Goals Ruling if scores were level on aggregate after the second leg) will now go straight to penalties, in a bid to reduce the risk of fatigue and encourage teams to field stronger sides.
Extra time would come into effect if the Final ended as a draw after 90 minutes.
VAR
Last season, for the first time, a Video Assistant Referee was employed in the Semi-finals and Final. This term, it will be used in all rounds played at Premier League grounds.
Penalty shoot-out format
Shoot-outs will no longer employ the ABBA format, and will instead revert back to the traditional ABAB system.
Seeding removed
Teams will no longer be seeded in rounds one and two, therefore enabling sides from all divisions able to draw each other. The competition is however regionalised by a north-south divide in the opening two rounds.
Bookings
Until now, five bookings in all domestic competitions would contribute to a one-match ban. However, the ruling has been amended to exclude League Cup cautions, which will only be relevant to that competition.
