Tottenham to face Aston Villa in Capital One Cup

The third round draw of the CapitalOne Cup was held today, and Tottenham have drawn an away trip to Villa Park.

Capital One Cup draw: Aston Villa Vs Spurs - Date TBC: the match will take place the week commencing Monday 23 September #THFC

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 28, 2013

The CapitalOne Cup, also known as the League Cup, is an annual knock-out tournament that features all the teams from the Premier League down to League Two, or what used to be known as the "old Football League." It's considered the less-prestigious of the two cups, with the nod going to the annual F.A. Cup, which includes the ENTIRE English football pyramid. The carrot at the end of this stick is that the winner of the CapitalOne Cup gets into the playoff stage of the Europa League. Last year's winners were Swansea City, who beat the mighty Bradford City in the finals, and finished in ninth place in the EPL table. Like Tottenham Hotspur, they're in good shape in the Europa League playoff round.

For the big teams, this is usually a chance to use a rotated squad and/or youth players and players who need match fitness. None of the big boys take it seriously until the semi-finals. For the lower-league squads it's a big deal.  Villa might take this seriously, or it might not.  We'll find out.