Aston Villa draw Burton in Carabao Cup second round, Clark loaned to Vale

Familiar foes Burton Albion will host Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup second round. The Brewers were recently relegated from the EFL Championship and played Villa in a pre-season friendly earlier this summer.

The Carabao Cup second round draw took place early Thursday evening. Aston Villa, fresh off a 1-0 victory over Yeovil Town, were placed in the north region for the draw.

The result? An away trip to Burton-Upon-Trent and the Pirelli Stadium. This will be the fourth match-up between the two sides in the last 12 months after a pre-season friendly this summer and two Championship matches last term.

Villa avoided tougher Premier League assignments as Everton host Rotherham, Leicester host Fleetwood Town, and Wolves travel to Hillsborough. Top flight clubs playing in Europe (Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Burnley) will enter in the third round. Regionalized match-ups will end at this time as well.

The tie is to be played at Pirelli Stadium between Tuesday, August 28 and Thursday, August 30.

Mitch Clark loaned to Port Vale

19-year old defender Mitch Clark has been loaned to League Two side Port Vale. Clark, a key contributor to Aston Villa’s under-23 side, made his first team debut (his only to date) last August in a 4-1 Carabao Cup victory over Wigan.

Nominally a right-back, Clark is seemingly capable of playing anywhere across the backline as a centre-half or fullback. With Vale, Clark will get his first extended taste of professional football outside of youth competition.

As always, lower-level loans are always judged on playing time. If Clark is a key contributor in Stoke, the loan is a success. If not, he could come back having lost crucial development time at the under-23 level. Port Vale sit 10th in the league with one win and one loss after two matches.

In the meantime, Villa’s reserves will miss a talented, versatile defender!