The Canaries have accepted an invitation to play their reserve side in the tournament, which also comprises all the League One and League Two teams.
Norwich City have announced that they have accepted an invitation to play in this season’s EFL Trophy (official club website), which has led to an intriguing prospect of an East Anglian derby of a different sort.
The Canaries, who are preparing for their Premier League return, will be one of 16 category one academies to enter the competition, which comprises all the League One and Two clubs.
While Norwich went up from the Championship as champions, rivals Ipswich Town were relegated from the second tier and are now preparing for life in the third division.
As a League One outfit, the Tractor Boys first team will be in the competition, so should the two cross paths, it would be a case of Canaries reserves against Blues seniors.
Last season there were two derbies of such a nature in the competition, with Stoke City’s reserves having faced Port Vale and Sunderland having locked horns with Newcastle United’s development squad.
Here is how some Norwich fans reacted to the club’s announcement and prospect of meeting their rivals despite the current disparity in league positions:
The 64 clubs who have entered next season’s EFL Trophy will be divided into 16 groups of four, with eight northern groups and eight southern groups, and first round of fixtures is scheduled to take place in the week commencing 2 September.
