Brighton & Hove Albion under-21s join Gillingham, Cambridge United and Northampton Town in Southern Group G in the group stage of the EFL Trophy

Gillingham will play Brighton & Hove Albion under-21s at Priestfield in this season’s EFL Trophy.

The Gills found out their final group-stage opponents on Thursday afternoon - just hours after their League Two fixtures were announced.

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Earlier in the week, the Gills had been placed in Southern Group G alongside newly promoted League 1 side Cambridge United and League 2 rivals Northampton Town.

The group stage is split into 16 regional groups of four teams, with the top two from each group progressing to the knockout rounds.

Group-stage fixtures will begin in early September

The competition remains regionalised until the quarter-finals, while every match will be shown live on Sky Sports under the EFL's current broadcasting agreement.

Gillingham haven’t had much joy in the competition over recent years and once again failed to get out of the group stage last season.

The Gills beat Fulham under-21s at Priestfield but lost at Colchester United and were then beaten 3-0 at home by Wycombe Wanderers - a result which led to another early exit from the competition.