Manchester City were the two-time defending champions, having retained the trophy in 2019, and won their third consecutive title, defeating Aston Villa in the final at Wembley Stadium in London on 1 March 2020.
Due to their financial crisis, Bury were later withdrawn from the competition and ultimately expelled from the EFL.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Wolverhampton Wanderers all received byes to the third round owing to their participation in European competitions.
[4] A total of 50 teams played in the second round, including Fulham and Cardiff City from the Championship, as well as the Premier League clubs that are not involved in European competition.
The draw was made on 31 October 2019, by David James and Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show.
[10] Liverpool fielded an inexperienced side for their fixture against Aston Villa and were managed by the under-23s boss, Neil Critchley, while the first team participated in the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar under Jürgen Klopp.
The draw was made on 18 December 2019, by Dennis Wise and Chris Kamara at Oxford United's Kassam Stadium.