Newcastle United's young guns will soon discover their Papa John's Trophy group-stage opponents.
The Magpies have recently struggled in the competition formerly known as the Checkatrade Trophy, failing to reach the knockout stage last season.
United's second-string did enjoy a memorable run in 2018/19 before suffering a heavy defeat at arch-rivals Sunderland in the third-round tie at the Stadium of Light.
However, Chris Hogg and Peter Ramage will be hoping for an improved showing from last season which saw the young Magpies suffer defeats to Bolton, Crewe and Shrewsbury.
The Papa John's Trophy will again be broken into a northern and southern section, with the aim to reduce travel time and maximise recovery time for players.
This means Newcastle could potentially be drawn against Sunderland once again, or face newly-promoted Hartlepool United.
Lee Johnson's side are the current holders, having beaten Tranmere in the showpiece final at Wembley in March.
In total, 48 EFL clubs will be placed into pre-determined groups with the remaining 16 spots filled by invited U21 teams from the Premier League.
The Papa Johns' Trophy draw will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from 4.30pm on Thursday.
