Sutton will face League One Charlton Athletic and League Two Crawley Town in the group stages of the 2023-24 EFL Trophy, along with Aston Villa Under 21s, who were added to the group in the draw made live this morning.
Charlton, who Sutton have not played competitively before, finished in 10th place in League One last season while Crawley were one place above the League Two relegation zone, with U's completing a League double over the Sussex side for the second season in a row. Last season Crawley and Aston Villa were both eliminated at the group stage from the same group, with Crawley winning the game between the sides 5-2, and Charlton were beaten at eventual finalists Plymouth in the first knockout stage.
Sutton will begin the programme at home to Aston Villa, scheduled for Tuesday 5 September, then host Crawley, scheduled for Tuesday 10 October before a visit to the Valley to take on Charlton, scheduled for Tuesday 14 November. Note that these dates are subject to final confirmation, with clubs having the option to play in the week before or the week after in all cases, with all games needing to be completed by Wednesday 22 November.