West Ham United will take on opponents from London in the third round of the Carabao Cup after beating Portsmouth and Southampton in the competitiom
West Ham have learned their Carabao Cup opponents(Image: James Marsh/Shutterstock)
Nuno Espirito Santo and West Ham have been handed a London derby in the third round of the Carabao Cup. The Hammers will host either Fulham or AFC Wimbledon after beating Southampton in round two.
Fulham and Wimbledon are due to meet on Thursday with both teams already knowing what’s in store if they progress. And either opponent could bring a reunion for a West Ham player past or present.
If the Dons pull off a giant-killing, it would see Marcus Browne return to the London Stadium. The 28-year-old attacking midfielder came through West Ham’s academy and played once for the first team, in a Europa League play-off against Astra Giurgiu when Slaven Bilic was manager.
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Browne played for Middlesbrough and Oxford United after leaving east London, eventually returning to the capital with Wimbledon in January 2025. He finished last season as the top scorer for Johnnie Jackson’s side, with 12 goals in the league and 14 in all competitions.
Marcus Browne made just one senior appearance for West Ham
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If there’s no upset at Craven Cottage, Alphonse Areola could end up playing against his old employers. The French goalkeeper spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Fulham from Paris Saint-Germain, playing 36 times in the league, but moved to West Ham – first on loan and then permanently – after the Cottagers were relegated.
Areola has been linked with a summer exit after losing his starting spot to Mads Hermansen. He remains a West Ham player for the time being, though, and was on the bench for the first two Championship matches of the season.
The 33-year-old was left out on Tuesday, though, as West Ham came from behind to win 4-1 at St Mary’s. Young goalkeeper Fin Herrick got the nod and spoke after finishing on the winning side on his first senior start.
“It’s unbelievable, the amount of people that I’ve grown up with and we all start on the same pitch together,” Herrick told club media after a youthful team won on the south coast. “If you’d said that two years ago, we’d all think, surely not, that’s not going to happen. But no, it’s an unbelievable night for a lot of people.
“It was unbelievable to walk out with Lewis Orford, who I’ve known since I was six, so I’ve gone through the whole Academy with him. So on my first start, he’s stood two people behind me, it almost gives you an extra confidence because you’ve got someone you know and you trust.”