Sunderland face Leicester City Under-21s in EFL Trophy…

Sunderland face Leicester City Under-21s in EFL Trophy group stage

Sunderland will face Leicester City Under-21s in the group stage of the 2019-20 EFL Trophy.

The Black Cats already knew they would be up against Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United in the competition, which brings together League One and Two sides with invited Premier League development teams.

Jack Ross ’ side showed the competition due respect last season, their first in the Trophy as a senior side, and were rewarded with a trip to Wembley, where they lost a penalty shoot-out to Portsmouth after a 2-2 draw in front of a sold-out crowd.

Leicester’s juniors finished third in a group Rochdale and Bury qualified from last season.

The Foxes will travel to the Stadium of Light for their game, but the venues of the other matches and the dates of the games are yet to be announced.

Sunderland and Newcastle United Under-21s were kept apart in the draw, and cannot face one another until the last-eight stage, when the competition ceases to be split into a northern and southern section. The sides met in this year’s quarter-finals, with the Black Cats winning 4-0 at the Stadium of Light.

Grimsby and Scunthorpe are both in League Two. The Wearsiders’ under-21s played at Grimsby’s Blundell Park in the 2017-18 group stage.

Here is the draw in full: