Penalties, substitutions and prize money: The Carabao Cup rules Middlesbrough must know before Shrewsbury clash

Boro will welcome Shrewsbury Town to the Riverside Stadium on Friday, September 4 and will have to acquaint themselves with the rules of the EFL's flagship cup competition.

Here, we examine some of the key regulations that Boro will need to know:

Are there any squad selection rules in place?

Some cup competitions – most notably the EFL Trophy – have introduced stringent squad selection rules which dictate what team a club can field.

And while the Carabao Cup does have some form of squad selection rule, it is far less heavy-handed.

Regulation 6.5 says: “Each Club shall play its full available strength in and during all Cup Competition matches, unless some satisfactory reason is given. The Board will from time to time issue a policy as to what constitutes 'full available strength'.”

In terms of which players are eligible for the game, any player registered with the football club for EFL competitions can play in the Carabao Cup.

New signings must be registered by Noon on the day before a Carabao Cup tie in order to be eligible to play.

How many substitutions will Middlesbrough be able to make?

Premier League clubs were able to use five substitutes when they returned to action after football’s suspension, but the Carabao Cup rules only allow clubs to make three changes.

Clubs will also be limited to naming the traditional seven substitutes on the bench.

Rulle 10.1 reads: “...each team is permitted up to seven substitutes of whom not more than three may take part in the match.”

Are there replays, extra-time and penalty shootouts in the Carabao Cup?

Unlike the FA Cup, there are no replays in the Carabao Cup – meaning that ties will all have to be decided on the day.

But we won’t see any periods of extra-time though, with competition rules stating that ties in the early rounds must go straight to penalties.

Carabao Cup rule 14.4 states: “In the event of the scores being level at the end of ninety minutes’ play in Rounds One, Two, Three, Four and Five no extra time shall be played, and the winners shall be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark in accordance with procedures as approved by IFAB.”

Penalties will be taken in the traditional ABAB format.

What prize money is available in the Carabao Cup?

While the FA Cup and EFL Trophy offer some attractive financial incentives for clubs, the Carabao Cup has no prize money up for grabs until the semi-final stages.

Clubs are required to share gate receipts, meaning a glamour tie away at a Premier League club could still provide a windfall, but that is unlikely to be a factor this season given early ties will be played in front of empty stadiums or limited capacities.