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The 2022/23 Papa John's Trophy group stage draw has been completed, with 16 invited Premier League clubs' academy sides joining the competition.
Now, the following U21 teams have been added to those groups: Everton, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Wolves, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Tottenham and West Ham.
The northern and southern section draws had already been made prior to Thursday's draw, which took place live on Sky Sports News, with 48 teams from Sky Bet League One and League Two divided into 16 groups.
Paul Warne's men will not, however, be able to defend their title after they won promotion back to the Sky Bet Championship.
Last season, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea's U21 teams advanced from the group stage, with the Gunners progressing all the way to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 1-0 by Wigan.
The above teams must also adhere to the following team selection rules:
• A minimum of six players in the starting line-up who are aged under 21 on 30 June 2022.
The final will take place at Wembley on Sunday March 19, 2023.
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