EFL Trophy first-round fixtures released

The EFL Trophy draw has been made, with the 64 sides finding out who they will face in the opening stage of the competition.

The group stages are regional, with League One and Two teams in the competition and sixteen invited Under 21 sides are also included

These include Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Bolton Wanderers are the current champions and will be looking to defend the title, after their 4-0 win over Plymouth Argyle.

While the record attendance was set a few years back when over 85,000 saw the final between Portsmouth beat Sunderland that ended with Pompey winning on penalties back in 2019.

Northern Group stages:

A: Barrow, Blackpool, Morecambe, Liverpool U21

B: Crewe, Port Vale, Wrexham, Newcastle United U21

C: Accrington Stanley, Carlisle United, Harrogate Town, Nottingham Forest U21

D: Fleetwood Town, Tranmere Rovers, Wigan Athletic, Leicester City U21

E: Bolton Wanderers, Salford City, Stockport County, Man United U21

F: Barnsley, Bradford City, Grimsby Town, Man City U21

G: Derby County, Lincoln City, Notts County, Wolves U21

H: Burton Albion, Doncaster Rovers, Mansfield Town, Everton U21

Southern Group stages:

A: Forest Green Rovers, Shrewsbury Town, Walsall, Brighton U21

B: Charlton Athletic, Crawley Town, Sutton United, Aston Villa U21

C: AFC Wimbledon, Stevenage, Wycombe Wanderers, Crystal Palace U21

D: Cambridge United, Colchester United, Peterborough United, Tottenham Hotspur U21

E: Gillingham, Leyton Orient, Portsmouth, Fulham U21

F: MK Dons, Northampton Town, Oxford United, Chelsea U21

G: Exeter City, Reading, Swindon Town, Arsenal U21

H: Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Newport County, West Ham U21

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