EFL Trophy group stage fixtures announced
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DDB4sw2yYQm9DqQVsJFZ7G.jpg)
Liverpool Under-21s will face trips to Fleetwood, Oldham and Accrington Stanley in the group stages of the EFL Trophy.
Manchester United Under-21s are also the latest Category One Academy club to enter the tournament for the 2019/2020 campaign.
Following Friday’s draw, United will play Doncaster, Rotherham and Lincoln in Group H.
The Premier League top six from last season are now set to be fully represented in the competition for the first time.
Some 16 teams have been invited to join the 48 EFL clubs in Sky Bet League One and League Two. The groups are divided into northern and southern sections, which had been arranged to minimise travel both for the teams and supporters.
Manchester City were put into Northern Section Group F with Bradford, Bolton and Rochdale. Leicester are in Group A alongside Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Sunderland, last season’s runners-up.
Aston Villa Under-21s, whose first team won the Championship play-off final, face Group C fixtures against Bury, Tranmere and Salford, promoted from the National League last season.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Newcastle will be in Group D alongside Shrewsbury, Macclesfield and Port Vale, while Everton Under-21s are in Group E with Crewe, Burton and Mansfield. In Group G, Wolves will be up against Blackpool, Carlisle and Morecambe.
In the Southern Section, Tottenham Under-21s are in Group A along with Ipswich, Colchester and Gillingham.
Chelsea will be in Group F to play with Swindon, Bristol and Plymouth, while Arsenal are in Group H against Peterborough, Cambridge and Northampton.
Norwich, whose first team won the Championship last season, are in Group B with Crawley, Oxford and EFL Trophy holders Portsmouth.
Brighton Under-21s face AFC Wimbledon, Southend and Leyton Orient in Group C, while Southampton are in Group D with Coventry, Forest Green and Walsall.
In Group E, West Ham will play Exeter, Cheltenham and Newport, with Fulham in Group G against MK Dons, Wycombe and Stevenage.
Academy sides will play each of the other three teams in their group away from home, with the top two teams qualifying for the knockout stages, which remain on a regional basis until the quarter-finals.
The first ties will be played week commencing September 2.
FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.
![LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 5: Arne Slot Manager of Liverpool congratulates Mohamed Salah of Liverpool after the 4-0 victory during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Liverpool FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Anfield on November 5, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q3ie7X2vDDiU7X6C9HVRK7-840-80.jpg)
‘The pure simplicity of the way Slot has managed the squad is probably the biggest thing I could say about him. It’s not broken, so let’s get on with it’: Liverpool legend full of admiration for Jurgen Klopp's successor at Anfield
![CARDIFF, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 02: Wales captain Ryan Giggs shakes the hand of manager John Toshack after being substituted on his last International appearance for his country during the Euro 2008 Group D Qualifying Match between Wales and Czech Republic at the Millennium Stadium on June 2, 2007 in Cardiff, Wales. Photo by (Stu Forster/Getty Images)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ooQ9oNmgvfUUG8TBUhn6BK-840-80.jpg)
‘I trained at Spurs and thought they’d give me a chance. But I received a letter thanking me but saying they didn’t think I was good enough – I was gutted’: How Tottenham missed out on signing Wales legend John Toshack