Chelsea face a repeat of their victorious FA Youth Cup Final encounter with Manchester City in a Barclays Under 18 Premier League Play-Off fixture at the Electrical Services Stadium on Saturday 9 May at 11am.
Admission is FREE as City look to avenge that 5-2 aggregate defeat in the end-of-season Play-Off group featuring the top teams from both North and South divisions. City won the North Group with 70 points and just five defeats from their 31 games, whilst Chelsea finished fifth in the South Group on 49 points.
Chelsea’s squad – many of whom also featured in their UEFA Youth League Final victory last month – includes the prolific Dominic Solanke, who was on the bench for The Blues’ 1-0 Premier League win at Old Trafford and made his first-team debut in the Champions League last October, and prodigiously talented Isaiah Brown, who became the Premier League’s second youngest player ever with West Bromwich Albion before joining Chelsea.
Midfielder Kasey Palmer is building a formidable reputation for scoring spectacular goals (here, here and here), whilst Belgian Under 21 international winger Charly Musonda – who frequently draws comparisons with Raheem Sterling – is rated as The Blues’ most exciting young prospect.
Managed by former Blackburn Rovers and England winger Jason Wilcox, Manchester City’s Under 18 squad contains several players tipped to break into the first-team, including Spanish youth internationals Angelino and Pablo Maffeo, and Kelechi Iheanacho, who will represent Nigeria in the Under 20 World Cup at the end of the month. They are joined by youth internationals from Holland, Norway, Sweden, Romania, Republic of Ireland and, of course, England.
Before The Blues face Manchester City, Chelsea host Liverpool in a Barclays Under 21 Premier League fixture at the ESS on Thursday, 7 May, with a 7.05pm kick-off. Admission is £3 for adults and £1 for concessions.
Both matches showcase the best young players in the country. See them now, before the rest of the world.
