Aldershot Town will host some of Europe’s finest young players this month, with the first of three Premier League International Cup fixtures at the EBB Stadium.
Athletic Club Bilbao will host Celtic in a Group D fixture on Wednesday 25 October at 7pm, as two of Europe’s most successful Academies meet. Bilbao have created more Spanish internationals than any other Club in Spain and The Lions’ first-team squad currently boast 17 graduates of the legendary Lezama Academy. Celtic, meanwhile, have recently included five Academy graduates in their Scottish Premiership starting XI.
Then, on Wednesday 29 November, GNK Dinamo Zagreb – one of the most prolific Academies in Europe, which has produced an array of legendary Crotain internationals – face Germans VfL Wolfsburg.
Finally, on Friday 26 January, the EBB Stadium hosts a mouthwatering Group E clash between FC Bayern Munich and current PLIC holders FC Porto.
All matches kick-off at 7pm, with admission for each fixture priced at £3 for adults and £1 for concessions.
The International Cup, now in its fourth season, consists of 12 Premier League 2 teams and 12 Under-23 sides from elite Academies across Europe, split into six groups of four. The six group winners and the two best runners-up qualify for the quarter-finals.
The 24 teams in the 2017-18 competition are: Sparta Prague, Liverpool, Newcastle United, PSV Eindhoven (Group A); Hertha Berlin, Legia Warsaw, Leicester City, Sunderland (Group B); Derby County, GNK Dinamo Zagreb, Everton, VfL Wolfsburg (Group C); Athletic Club Bilbao, Celtic FC, Manchester United, Swansea City (Group D); Arsenal, FC Bayern Munich, FC Porto, Reading (Group E); and SL Benfica, Tottenham Hotspur, Villarreal CF, West Ham United (Group F).
