The week ahead: 9th-15th February 2015

The penultimate FA Youth Cup fifth round tie, several key games in the Under-21 and Under-18 league programmes and the England Under-17s at the Algarve Tournament dominate the schedule this week…

 

 

Under-21s

The bulk of this week’s Under-21 Premier League action takes place today [Monday], with three games apiece in both Division 1 and 2. In the top flight, league leaders Chelsea travel to Manchester United in a game being screened live on BT Sport. The hosts can draw level on 21 points with their visitors if they can muster a victory, however exertions for their Under-18s in the FA Youth Cup on the same evening may test the depth of the squad.

Nevertheless, the Reds will be eager to bounce back from last week’s home defeat to Fulham and record just a second win in seven league outings. The Blues have won three of their last four, including an impressive 5-3 win over Southampton at Stamford Bridge last week, though their younger contingent will certainly be challenged in the north-west.

Waiting to pounce and retake top spot are Southampton, usurped at the table’s summit after that defeat in west London. The Saints travel to Everton level on points with Chelsea, albeit having played a game more. The Toffees start the day in sixth but, given the tightness of the league at this stage, could jump into third with three points.

In the other top-flight match, Leicester host Norwich in a 10th-versus-11th clash at the other end of the table. Both sides have won just three times from 11 attempts in 2014-15, though the young Foxes have enjoyed a productive European campaign in the Premier League International Cup, defeating Schalke, Benfica and Manchester City at the Under-21 age group en route to the last-eight.

In Division 2, Arsenal will be aiming to draw level with leaders Newcastle in the hunt for promotion as the sides meet in the north-east. The Magpies haven’t won in four games in 2015 so require a response, particularly with third-placed West Brom also in action today.

The Baggies are at Brighton and could go top with a win, while the day’s other action sees sixth meet seventh as Reading travel to Bolton.

 

FA Youth Cup

The week’s only fifth round tie, the penultimate game of the round, takes place tonight as Tottenham host Manchester United for a place in the quarter-finals and a trip to Nottingham Forest. Spurs have beaten Category 1 opposition in both previous rounds (4-1 versus Blackburn in Round 3, 2-0 versus Wolves in Round 4), while United have seen off lower-league sides in Bury and Hull City.

The visitors will attempt to leverage their impressive defensive record in north London, having not conceded a goal in the campaign yet this season and with the fewest goals conceded in the Under-18 Premier League. Zak Dearnley and Callum Gribbin have netted two goals each en route to the fifth round, while Spurs are boosted by recent first-team debutant Joshua Onomah and top goalscorer Ismail Azzaoui, the latter with four of his seven Under-18 goals this season coming in two Youth Cup ties.

The victors will join Forest, Chelsea, Birmingham, Manchester City, Newcastle and Leicester in the final eight, with Arsenal versus Crewe Alexandra the last tie of this round to be completed.

 

Algarve Tournament

The England Under-17s begin their annual tournament in Portugal this week with games against the Netherlands (Friday) and Portugal (Sunday), before next Tuesday’s clash with Germany. John Peacock’s side arrive as European champions and will be looking to continue their strong campaign ahead of next month’s elite round qualification games for the summer’s European Championship finals.

England, Portugal and the Netherlands all came through the first round of qualification with maximum points, while Germany received a bye to the elite stage, so the tournament is certain to be high on quality while also providing an opportunity for some younger faces to step into the Under-17 international spotlight.

 

Under-18s

The Under-18 Premier League regional programme is coming to its conclusion and, after Chelsea secured their place in next month’s elite round after the leagues split into three, this week sees the opportunity for Middlesbrough in the northern section to do the same. Their fate could be sealed as early as Tuesday if Derby County fail to win at Blackburn Rovers, though they will have the chance to secure a top-four place themselves if necessary at the weekend when they host Wolves.

Everton could also wrap up their place in the elite round this weekend but only by relying on poor results from the Rams. In the meantime, they will be looking to take care of their own business and make it four wins from five as they face a tricky trip to fourth-placed Manchester United.

In the southern section, Chelsea can secure top spot with a couple of games to spare as they travel to Fulham on Friday. They will need an away win to do it and face tough competition in their fellow west Londoners, who have put an impressive run together of three straight wins.

In the individual goalscoring stakes, there were no weekend strikes from any of the top 17 scorers, with many progressing to play with their Under-21s now as a reward for strong form. It means Tammy Abraham (Chelsea) continues to lead the way with 18 goals, followed by Rushian Hepburn-Murphy (Aston Villa) on 12.

 

You can check out more from all the Under-21, Under-18 and European competitions, including every goalscorer and comprehensive club statistics, on our Wiki site. Don’t forget you can also keep up with all the action in those aforementioned league, plus England’s Algarve Tournament campaign, on twitter with @youthhawk.

 

 

Monday – Tottenham v Manchester United (FA Youth Cup), Everton v Southampton, Leicester v Norwich, Manchester United v Chelsea, Bolton v Reading, Brighton v West Brom, Newcastle v Arsenal (Under-21 Premier League)

Tuesday – Blackburn v Derby (Under-18 Premier League)

Wednesday – Porto v Borussia Monchengladbach, Everton v Villarreal (Premier League International Cup), Tottenham v Leicester (Under-18 Premier League)

Friday – Stoke v Wolves (Under-21 Premier League), Fulham v Chelsea (Under-18 Premier League), England Under-17s v Netherlands (Algarve Tournament)

Saturday – Bolton v Derby, Liverpool v Sunderland, Manchester United v Everton, Middlesbrough v Wolves, Stoke v Manchester City, Arsenal v Leicester, Aston Villa v West Ham, Brighton v West Brom, Norwich v Southampton, Reading v Tottenham

Sunday – England Under-17s v Portugal (Algarve Tournament)

The week ahead: 2nd-8th February 2015

Three of the four remaining Youth Cup fifth round ties will be played this week, plus some crucial league games at both age groups and latter-stage Under-21 cup action…

Under-21s

The Under-21 Premier League campaign continues this week with plenty at stake in both divisions. In the top flight, Chelsea host Southampton on Monday at Stamford Bridge in a third-versus-first clash. The Blues can go top of the league with a win but will have to be on top of their game against a side unbeaten since September, a run that stretches to nine matches.

The Saints may be without the services of forward Ryan Seager, the league’s top goalscorer with 10 in 10 games. He was involved off the bench for a brief cameo in the first team’s narrow defeat to Swansea City yesterday and might miss out on the action as a result. Nevertheless, it promises to be a top-quality game with plenty to play for as two of the country’s best academies come head-to-head.

Waiting to capitalise on any dropped points at the top of Division 1 will be Manchester United, who entertain Fulham on Monday. The Reds have the best defensive record in the league and start the week in fourth place with the same number of points as Chelsea. They will have the opportunity to close the gap on one of the sides above them or, in the case of a draw in west London, on both. Fulham’s aspirations are slightly smaller as they battle to stay out of the bottom two and avoid relegation. They currently sit three places and two points above Liverpool in 11th, though the Reds’ two games in hand means Fulham could quickly be sucked into trouble in the coming weeks.

Perhaps the bigger game of the week in that respect for the Whites comes on Friday as they travel to bottom-placed West Ham. The young Irons have won just twice all season and will be aiming to end a run of four straight league defeats in the London derby.

In the second tier, Newcastle have the chance to extend their advantage at the top of the table and bolster their promotion chances. However, their visitors from West Brom are also enjoying a positive season and could themselves go top with an away win. The encounter could also pit two of the league’s top scorers against one another as West Brom’s Adil Nabi (8) and the hosts’ Adam Armstrong (6) look to out-shoot one another en route to helping their team to victory.

Later in the week, second-placed Middlesbrough have their opportunity to keep the pressure on up the top as they welcome Wolves, who haven’t won a league game since August.

Away from league action, there are three Cup ties scheduled for this week, starting with a double-header today. In the quarter-finals of the Under-21 Premier League Cup, Stoke travel to Derby looking to exact some revenge after a 7-1 thumping from the same opponents in the league last week. Then, on Tuesday, holders Reading go to Huddersfield with the aim of joining Blackburn in the last four and continuing the defence of their Cup crown. The Terriers have been impressive in the campaign, knocking out Everton and then Charlton en route to the last-16.

In the International Cup group stage, Manchester City meet Leicester on Monday in a direct shootout for top spot in Group C. Both sides have won their opening two games and are assured of a place in the last-eight.

FA Youth Cup

Three of the remaining four Fifth Round ties will be played this week as six sides look to join Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Birmingham City and Manchester City in this season’s quarter-finals. The action kicks off on Monday as struggling Arsenal host Crewe Alexandra. The young Gunners are on a dismal run of league form in their youth team programme, having not won in 10 games, although their Cup campaign has provided a welcome distraction to those problems. Crewe have already claimed two Category 1 academy scalps, dumping out last year’s runners-up Fulham in the third round before thrashing Bolton 5-0 in round four. They will be aiming to make it a hat-trick of upsets as they bid to make the last-eight.

On Wednesday, Sunderland host Newcastle in a north-east battle that is sure to be a spicy affair. The hosts needed extra-time to get past Ipswich Town in the last round, while Newcastle beat fellow local rivals Middlesbrough 3-2 with two goals in the final five minutes. The winners will face holders Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

The final tie of the week is scheduled for Thursday as Southampton host Leicester City for the right to host Birmingham in the sixth round. The young Saints have already beaten two top-flight sides in West Ham and Everton, the latter in the last round after a 5-4 penalty shootout win.

Under-18s

We’re arriving into crunch time in the Under-18 Premier League as the final weeks of the regional programme begin. The leagues split into three in March with the top four sides from both regions moving into an elite round to do battle for the title. This week will prove too soon for mathematical confirmation for those sides at the top, although Middlesbrough could all but seal their place in the elite round with a win at third-placed Manchester City in the north section this weekend. Derby still carry top-four aspirations and will need a victory at home to Stoke to continue that quest, while Manchester United, like their Under-21 side with the best defensive record in the league, face a tricky trip to Sunderland.

In the south section, Chelsea could pretty much seal their elite round place with a win over Brighton. Victory would mean the Seasiders, in fourth place going into the weekend, could only catch them by winning all five of their remaining games and the Blues losing their last three. Even that unlikely scenario would see the two sides tied on goal difference and, with Chelsea currently 27 goals better off on that front, celebrations wouldn’t be unwarranted if they can secure another home success.

Arsenal will be aiming to end that previously-mentioned 10-game winless streak in the north London derby as they go to Tottenham, with Spurs also in need of the points to strengthen their position in the top three.

 

 

You can check out more from all the Under-21, Under-18 and European competitions, including every goalscorer and comprehensive club statistics, on our Wiki site.

 

The week in detail:

Monday – Arsenal v Crewe (FA Youth Cup), Chelsea v Southampton, Manchester United v Fulham, Newcastle v West Brom (Under-21 Premier League), Derby v Stoke (Under-21 Premier League Cup), Manchester City v Leicester (Premier League International Cup)

Tuesday – Huddersfield v Reading (Under-21 Premier League Cup)

Wednesday – Sunderland v Newcastle (FA Youth Cup)

Thursday – Southampton v Leicester (FA Youth Cup)

Friday – West Ham v Fulham, Middlesbrough v Wolves, Stoke v Blackburn (Under-21 Premier League)

Saturday – Manchester City v Liverpool (Under-21 Premier League), Blackburn v Liverpool, Derby v Stoke, Everton v Newcastle, Manchester City v Middlesbrough, Sunderland v Manchester United, Wolves v Bolton, Chelsea v Brighton, Fulham v West Ham, Tottenham v Arsenal, Leicester v Aston Villa, Southampton v Reading, West Brom v Norwich (Under-18 Premier League)