Tranmere Rovers v Leeds United Under-21s: How can I follow the game? What are the EFL Trophy Rules?

Leeds United Under-21s take on Tranmere Rovers this evening in their first game of the 2021/2021 EFL Trophy.

Here’s everything you need to know about the competition:

What is the EFL Trophy?

The EFL Trophy, known this season as the Papa John’s trophy for sponsorship reasons, is the third biggest knockout competition in the UK after the FA Cup and the League Cup.

The current holders are Sunderland, who beat Tranmere Rovers 1-0 in the 2021 final at Wembley.

Who competes in the EFL Trophy?

The EFL Trophy is open to 64 teams.

48 teams from across League One and League Two are joined by 16 category 1 Under-21 teams from Premier League and Championship clubs for Round One.

What are the rules for the first round?

The first round consists of 16 groups of 4 teams, organised regionally.

Each team will play the three other teams in their group once.

The two teams at the top of their group at the end of the matches progress to the next round, a knockout stage which is also geographically organised.

Under-21s teams can field up to two players over the age of 21, which gives the chance for some of Marcelo Bielsa’s underused senior players to get some game time.

Where are Leeds United U23s?

Leeds United Under-21s are in Group B, along with Salford City, and Oldham Athletic, and Tranmere Rovers, last season's finalists.

In the first Group B game, the Latics beat Salford 1-0, which puts them at the top of the table ahead of Tuesday evening’s clash between Leeds and Tranmere.

How did Leeds Under-21s do last season?

Leeds United Under-21s competed in the EFL Trophy for the first time last season after earning Category 1 status in the summer of 2020.

The Whites finished bottom of Group G and failed to progress from the first round.

What time is kick-off between Leeds and Tranmere?

Kick off is at 7pm on Tuesday September 14.

How can I follow the game?

The game will be available to stream on LUTV.

You can follow all the action on the YEP’s live blog as we bring you all the updates from Prenton Park.

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