The Blues are one of 16 under-21 teams set to compete in the 2017/18 instalment of the competition, with EDS boss Simon Davies set to manage the squad.
Here’s everything you need to know about the competition…
Brief history
The English Football League Trophy, to give it its official title, was first introduced for the 1983/84 season.
City have played in the competition once, during the 1998/1999 campaign when it was known as the Auto Windscreens Shield.
Joe Royle’s Blues went down 2-1 at home against Mansfield Town, with Danny Allsopp on the scoresheet.
Competition revamp
Until last season, only League 1 and League 2 sides had been eligible to compete, but now 16 clubs from the Premier League and Championship that hold Category One academy status are invited to enter an under-21 side.
Clubs are initially invited based on their 2016/17 league performance and should they not accept, subsequent teams are offered a place.
The introduction of academy teams also saw a change in the competition format, which had previously been a knockout tournament throughout, but now features an initial group stage.
Which other under-21 teams are involved?
Eleven other Premier League clubs have entered a squad in the competition, with four teams from the Championship completing the list of Category One academy teams.
Premier League: Brighton, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester, Newcastle, Southampton, Stoke, Swansea, Spurs, West Brom, West Ham.
Championship: Fulham, Middlesbrough, Reading, Sunderland.
Player eligibility
Manager Davies must name six players in his starting XI who are under the age of 21 as of 30 June 2017.
Format
The first round of the competition is a group stage, with the 64 participating clubs divided into 16 groups of four.
Groups will be regionalised – which remains up until the quarter-final stage – and one invited under-21 team will be included in each group, with the top two qualifying for the knockout stages.
Teams will play each other once in the group stage and in the knockout rounds fixtures will be decided by penalties if the scores are level after 90 minutes, up until in the semi-final.
In the final, extra-time will precede a penalty shoot-out.
Rules to note
- City will play all three of their group stage games away from home.
- In the group stage, if scores are level after 90 minutes, the game will go to penalties and the winning team will be awarded an extra point.
Key dates
The Blues will find out who they face in the group stage on Wednesday 12 July, with the first round of fixtures scheduled for the week commencing 28 August.
