Premier League sides Newcastle and Tottenham are set to face off against League One and Two sides after being confirmed as new entries for this season’s EFL Trophy.
The competition, which is known as the Checkatrade Trophy for sponsorship reasons, will see 16 top flight and Championship sides enter Under-21 sides to take part against the 48 teams in the bottom two tiers of the English League ladder.
Manchester City and Fulham join the Magpies and the Lilywhites as new additions, as confirmed on the EFL’s official website, while other top flight sides such as Chelsea, Everton and West Ham will also take part for the second successive season.
It is only the second year that top flight sides, who must have a category A ranked academy, have been allowed to enter, in what was a bid to improve the development of young players through competitive action.
The move was met by heavy criticism, and last year saw attendance numbers reach significant lows.
Missing from the competition will be the rest of last season’s Premier League top six – Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United – as the giants of English football rejected the opportunity to compete.
Last season saw League One side Coventry put their league woes of relegation behind them to triumph, beating Oxford United 2-1 in the final in front of 75,000 fans at Wembley in April.