Days like this rarely come about for League One sides and while the Imps may have had more than most following their 2016/17 cup run it still feels like a privilege.
It has been eight years since Sean Raggett’s 89th minute winner against Burnley, recently enough for most Imps fans to remember. However, with just 3,210 City fans in the sold-out away end on that day many were subject to watch the game on the TV.
A visit to the Emirates in the Quarter-final to face Arsenal ended the Imps’ dream of a home tie against a Champions League side.
Luck seemed to be against them when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the visit of Liverpool to be played in an empty stadium during the 2020/21 Carabao Cup campaign.
However, Imps’ fans were rewarded rewarded slightly the season before as Everton became the first Premier League team to visit them since the 1996/97 season.
Harry Anderson put the Imps ahead in the first minute in front of a sold-out Sincil Bank crowd before Lucas Digne and Gylfi Sigurdsson turned the game around either side of half-time.
Bruno Andrade spectacularly levelled things up again as he volleyed home in the 70th minute but the Premier League side eventually put the game to bed in the final ten minutes.
However, not even that second round tie carries the same magnitude as welcoming the only team in the world to have held UEFA’s three premier club competitions, as well as the Club World Cup.
Last night Lincoln City were drawn at home to Chelsea in the Third round of this season’s Carabao Cup after a late Ben House strike earnt them a 1-0 victory over Burton Albion on Tuesday night.
The visit of the Blues will be widely considered to be the biggest game to ever take place at the home of Lincoln City. The only competition arguably being the visit of Macclesfield Town that sealed a return to the Football League in 2017.
Anyone that finds the net in this tie will certainly put their name up alongside the likes of Matt Rhead, Sean Raggett, Terry Hawkridge and the Cowley brothers.
It’s undoubtedly a huge mountain for the Imps to climb against a side that have won every competition available to them; but we have seen them do it before.
When will the game take place?
Due to clashes with the UEFA Champions League, the Carabao Cup third round will take place over the two weeks commencing September 15 and 22.
The first Game week of the Champions League season means that the Imps will almost certainly be playing on September 23 or 24, with Europe’s top competition kicking off the week before.
The Europa League campaign then kicks off the week after which is why the EFL had to conduct separate draws to ensure these teams weren’t facing each other.
On this an EFL statement said: “It would always be the EFL’s preference to conduct the draw in the traditional manner.
“But these changes have been forced upon us for the second season in succession as a result of UEFA’s failure to consult with the Leagues of Europe prior to finalising its competition schedule.”
On top of that, with the chance of the game being televised on Sky Sports the game may kick off at the slightly later time of 8PM.
However, with Port Vale vs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur vs Doncaster Rovers likely to take place in the same week alongside the other Champions League teams playing that is no guarantee.
Credit: Graham Burrell.
How will the Imps benefit from the tie?
The Carabao Cup is nowhere near as financially fruitful as the FA Cup with League One and Two sides who reach the third round of the FA Cup receiving £120,000.
While reaching the same stage of the Carabao Cup has only brought in £12,000 for the Imps so far.
An unlikely victory against the world’s best club side would add £10,000 to that fund.
With the Imps’ first two cup games being away at Harrogate Town and Burton Albion respectively the club will have made a very minimal amount from gate receipts so far.
However, that is all set to change for this one as a complete sell out is expected, as well as any additional silver memberships sold that provide priority access to cup tickets.
Combine that with any possible TV money made if Sky Sports came to town then the club would certainly benefit both financially and from the publicity gained.
While few expect the Imps to win the game it will certainly be a day to remember and the first time a Champions League club has played in front of a crowd in a competitive Sincil Bank fixture.