Aston Villa Under-21s have already secured their place in the EFL Trophy knockout stage with one game to spare and will aim for a third consecutive win when they face the already-eliminated Barrow.

Barrow

Aston Villa U21

Match Stats

Barrow's winless streak has now reached seven matches, beginning with a 3-0 EFL Trophy loss to Fleetwood Town last month, which sealed their elimination from the group stage. After also losing to Bolton Wanderers, they cannot finish in the top two of Group D, regardless of this week's results. In League Two, they've picked up just three points from their last five games, including two recent 1-1 draws. On Saturday, they were held to another 1-1 draw by Colchester, who scored a stoppage-time equalizer.

Aston Villa Under-21s lead Group D by one point, having won their opening match against Fleetwood and beaten Bolton on penalties. However, their Premier League 2 form has been struggling, sitting 21st in the table. Some of the squad recently featured in a dominant 6-2 UEFA Youth League win over Club Brugge. Now, they turn their attention to the EFL Trophy, aiming to maintain their strong group-stage form ahead of the knockout rounds in December.