Bolton Wanderers have found out the first three sides in their Papa Johns Trophy group before the final draw on 23 June.
Ian Evatt's side will take on Crewe Alexandra and Tranmere Rovers in the Northern section Group B with eight potential under 21 sides vying for the final position in the group. With eight groups in the Northern section and eight in the Southern section, the draw for U21 invited clubs to find out which group they will play in takes place on 23 June.
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The draw will take place on Sky Sports News on EFL fixture release day. Wanderers had a 100% record in the group stage of the 2021/22 competition, finishing first in a group consisting of Port Vale, Rochdale and Liverpool U21's with the standout result coming against the Reds in a 4-1 victory at the University of Bolton Stadium.
Following progression through the second round in a straight knockout fixture against Fleetwood Town, with Kieran Lee finding the all-important winner in a 1-0 win, Bolton were knocked out by Hartlepool United in the third round of the competition. Evatt will be looking for a stronger performance in the competition this year from an improved squad as they look to fight on various fronts.
The all-important ball numbers for the under 21 sides Bolton could face in Thursday's draw are as follows:
1 - Everton U21
2 - Leeds United U21
3 - Leicester City U21
4 - Liverpool U21
5 - Manchester City U21
6 - Manchester United U21
7 - Newcastle United U21
8 - Wolverhampton Wanderers U21
