- Leicester City's Development Squad face Sunderland in the Leasing.com Trophy on Tuesday (7pm kick-off)
- The Foxes have drawn with Scunthorpe United and defeated Grimsby Town so far
- City's youngsters are currently top of Northern Group A after two matches
- George Thomas is excited by the challenge of tackling the Sky Bet League 1 promotion-chasers
The Foxes head into the clash as leaders of Northern Group A but need a victory in the North East to confirm their place in the knockout phase of the competition.
Following a 1-1 draw at Scunthorpe United and 2-1 win at Grimsby Town, City's Under-21s have already showcased their ability to perform against Sky Bet Football League opposition.
However, Tuesday's clash with Phil Parkinson's Black Cats, currently seventh in League 1, sees them tackle the highest-ranked opponent from the Football League pyramid in their group.
Previewing the fixture, Thomas, 22, who spent last season on loan in League 1 with Scunthorpe, says everyone in the camp is excited by the challenge of facing Parkinson's men.
"We’ve had a good bit of form recently with some really good performances as well, I think that’s the most important thing, we’re playing well," he said.
"These are the games that you want to be a part of and win as well because they’re games against men, we want to be playing men’s football, that’s the aim for everyone at the end of the day.
"This is the first taste of it for some people, so it’s going to be a big game for everyone."
Thomas, who struck first for the Foxes in their 2-0 Premier League 2 Division 1 success over Manchester City last week, said of his goal: "They’re the ones I normally don’t like, either!
"The ones where you’ve got loads of time to think about it, I normally overthink it but I’m happy to get the goal but more importantly I thought the team did really well.
"We stuck in and then we managed to get one at the end, which I think is the most important thing."
All times GMT.