Derby County’s opponents for the 2017/18 Premier League Cup group stages have been confirmed.
The Rams’ Under-23 side have been drawn in Group A and will face local rivals Nottingham Forest, as well as Middlesbrough and Birmingham City.
Darren Wassall’s side will play their three opponents twice each over the course of the group stages, playing each side both home and away.
Last season, the Premier League Cup replaced the Under-21 Premier League Cup, which was introduced in 2013/14 to enhance the competitiveness of the Professional Development Phase calendar with knockout football alongside the regular league campaign.
The Premier League Cup adds a competitive edge of knockout football to the regular league programme, pitting PL2 sides from Category One Academies against teams from Categories Two, Three and Four.
The new competition is a UEFA Champions League style format with 32 clubs in the main group stage. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stages.
Like Premier League 2, it will be contested between Under-23 teams, with each side allowed three over-age outfield players and a goalkeeper born before 1st January 1994.
Last year, Swansea City were the overall winners and the cup victory came on the back of their Premier League 2 - Division 2 title success.
Look out for further details of where and when Derby’s Under-23s will be in Premier League Cup action on dcfc.co.uk and across our social media channels.
