Sunderland to face Joey Barton's Fleetwood Town as EFL Trophy group is revealed

The Black Cats have been drawn in a group alongside their League One promotion rivals, as well as League Two side Carlisle United.

They will be joined by one of seven Premier League Academy sides.

That will be drawn live on TalkSport 2 at 1.30 pm on Tuesday afternoon.

Newcastle United's U23 side will again be taking part in the competition, but The Echo understands that the two sides will again be kept apart at this stage of the competition.

The first round of EFL Trophy fixtures will take place on the 8th/9th of September, with the League One campaign beginning days later on September 12th.

Sunderland will discover their first opponents of the season on Tuesday morning when the draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup takes place.

That fixture will take place on September 5th, subject to international call-ups.