Sunderland have confirmed that their Papa John’s Trophy clash with Manchester United U21s will be played at the Stadium of Light on October 13 at 7pm.
The Black Cats will begin their defence of the competition tomorrow night as they travel to face Lincoln City who are currently top of Group F.
These two cup fixtures will be the only two Lee Johnson’s side play during the international break as call ups for key players have forced a couple of league matches to be postponed.
With some of the stand-out players in the squad unavailable due to commitments with their nations, it will provide a selection of the youngsters the opportunity to play their way into contention.
The tie against the Red Devils’ development side will prove a stern test after they smashed Bradford 3-0 just two weeks ago.
They also gave table toppers Lincoln a tough time with the Imps reliant on an Anthony Scully hat-trick to squeeze through by a 3-2 scoreline.
Regardless of which squad it is against, the visit of Manchester United is always one that must be treated with respect and there is certainly no room for complacency.
There may also be appearances for a couple of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s out-of-favour or recovering first teamers with the international break limiting their chances of game time.
Ticket information for the match at the Stadium of Light is not yet available, however, it should be updated over the next few days with the fixture taking place in nine days’ time.
Those Sunderland supporters interested in going to watch the match will still be frustrated that they were unable to see their team lift the trophy at Wembley back in March.
Although, no doubt they will be keen to make their voices heard as Johnson and his players look to defend their crown.
