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A look ahead to MK Dons' Carabao Cup opener against Norwich City Previewing the League Cup first round game between MK Dons and Norwich City, kicking off at 3pm The season officially kicks off with the Carabao Cup first round, seeing MK Dons heading to Norwich City. The sides, separated by one division, will kick off their respective league campaigns in a week’s time with Dons heading to Oxford United in League One, while the Canaries get up and running at home to West Brom. The League Cup opener has been experimented with before, and has drawn mixed results for Dons. In 2012, Dons beat Cheltenham on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Whaddon Road, they were beaten 1-0 by Coventry in 2020 and in 2021 they were thumped 5-0 by Bournemouth in Russell Martin’s final game before quitting for Swansea City. When Norwich have not been in the Premier League, they have made it out of the first round every year since 2020. The competition has offered up some of Dons’ biggest ever nights, including a 4-0 win over the Canaries back in 2011, while their win by the same margin over Manchester United three years later remains on a pedestal. Last season, Dons were beaten 2-0 by Bristol City at Ashton Gate in the first round of the competition, while Norwich beat Watford at Vicarage Road before exiting at the second round stage to Southampton. The League Cup is actually where Dons and Norwich have met the most times, with three of the five meetings coming in the competition. The side from MK have twice taken the spoils, with the Canaries’ 1-0 win in 2005 their only win in any competition. Paul Warne, a boyhood Norwich fan, will know his side have their work cut out for them. Phillipe Clement’s side have conceded just two goals throughout pre-season, playing seven games, scoring eight times. Dons meanwhile won just two of their seven pre-season encounters, scoring seven and conceding nine. Referee Elliott Swallow will take charge of the game. In 26 games last season, predominantly in the National League, Swallow showed 118 yellows and five reds. Back in November, he took charge of Dons’ EFL Trophy defeat to Swindon Town at Stadium MK. Assistants Anthony Da Costa and Karl Sear will run the lines with Fourth Official Sunny Singh Gill, who took charge of Dons’ pre-season win over Maidenhead United.