Wycombe Wanderers will welcome Aston Villa Under-21s to Adams Park on Tuesday looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season against Sunderland.
The fixture will be the first in their EFL Trophy group, which is a tough one that features two other League One sides Burton Albion and MK Dons.
Match preview
Wycombe will return to the tournament after a year out last season due to being in the Championship, but they will be hoping to perform better than their previous attempt in the competition.
The Chairboys were unable to get past the group stage during the 2019-20 tournament, finishing bottom with just one win, although that did come against MK Dons, who they will play again this season in the EFL Trophy.
Despite being relegated from the Championship, Gareth Ainsworth's squad have started the new campaign with a lot of confidence, earning five wins out of their seven games in all competitions.
Wycombe go into this particular fixture on the back of a loss, having been beaten by league leaders Sunderland 3-1, with David Wheeler's last-minute goal being nothing other than a consolation.
However, the Chairboys have been confident in front of goal, with Sam Vokes causing plenty of problems with his aerial ability and experience.
Ainsworth's team have already impressed within tournament football this season, as they currently find themselves in the third round of the EFL Cup after defeating Exeter City and Stevenage via penalties.
The Premier League Under-21s teams have typically struggled in this competition since being introduced and that has been the case for Aston Villa's crops too.
The youngsters have played five games in the competition across the past two seasons and they have lost all of them, scoring just three times in the process.
Last year, Villa's Under-21s came bottom of their group and conceded 14 goals including a difficult 8-1 loss at the hands of Sunderland, which they will be aiming to not repeat.
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Team News
Ainsworth has used cup football as a chance to shake things up with his starting lineups this season and that will continue here, with opportunities to give minutes to players likely being taken.
Wheeler was able to return to the team against Sunderland, coming from the bench after his recent injury to find the back of the net, which could see him earn a spot in the first XI on Tuesday.
Veteran striker Adebayo Akinfenwa will also likely be provided with the chance to lead the line in this game, with his physical ability being an easy target point for the team.
Aston Villa cleared out several academy members across the summer as nine were let go from the club, however, they also committed nine other players to new contracts, showing the confidence in the younger men.
Villa have a lot of good talent coming through the ranks right now, which was on full display when they won the FA Youth Cup in 2021, defeating Liverpool in the final and plenty of those players will be looking to continue that form in this competition.
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Stockdale; Grimmer, Tafazolli, Jacobson; Wheeler, Burley, Thompson, Obita; Samuel, Horgan, Akinfenwa
Aston Villa Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Marschall; Kesler, Bogarde, Swinkels, Zito, Revan; Lindley, Raikhy, Ramsey; Sturridge, Young
We say: Wycombe Wanderers 3-1 Aston Villa Under-21s
Aston Villa's history in this competition is not a positive one and taking on a very confident Wycombe Wanderers side is likely not going to change that.
The League One team have started the season brilliantly and will not be looking to suffer back-to-back defeats for the first time this season within this game.
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