Yahoo News Aston Villa clarity, draw details and how Birmingham City can scoop six-figure sum
Birmingham City will be competing in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy in the 2024-25 season, following the club's dip into League One. The EFL Trophy is comprised of 64 teams, made up of the 48 sides in the third and fourth tiers of the Football League pyramid and 16 under 21s side from Premier League clubs.
The 64 sides are divided up into 16 groups of four, and each team will play the other three sides in their group once. The top two teams progress into the round of 32. In the event a group match is drawn after 90 minutes, there'll be a penalty shoot-out in which an extra point is up for grabs for the team who prevails in the spot-kicks.
Blues, who are in the southern side of the competition, will play Shrewsbury Town and Walsall in their group stage. There will be one under 21 Premier League team in each of the 16 groups, and that side will be confirmed in the draw which takes place this Thursday afternoon (27th). The teams who could potentially join Blues in Group A (as well as their ball numbers for the draw) are...
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1. Arsenal U21
2. Brighton & Hove Albion U21
3. Chelsea U21
4. Crystal Palace U21
5. Fulham U21
6. Leicester City U21
7. Tottenham Hotspur U21
8. West Ham United U21
It means that Blues cannot face the under 21 sides of locals rivals Aston Villa or Wolverhampton Wanderers, as their teams have been placed in the northern side of the competition.
Blues, having just come down from the Championship, are expected to be among the favourites to win the competition, which they claimed in 1995. There's money to be won, too, for venturing deep into the competition and certainly if they were to proceed to win some silverware under Chris Davies in his first year in charge of the club.
Each side is given £20,000 for participating in the competition, and then you're awarded £10,000 for each victory and £5,000 for each draw in the group stage. Sides who reach the last 32 and progress earn £20,000 more and then £40,000 if they win their last 16 tie. As much as £50,000 is up for grabs for the victors of the quarter finals and then you receive £100,000 if you win the final at Wembley - £50,000 more is sent to the runner up of the competition.
In all, if you were to win all of your matches in the Trophy, the maximum Blues could pocket is £260,000.
