Crystal Palace Under-18s return to league action for their final fixture of 2025 on Saturday (13th December, 12:00 GMT), hosting Norwich City in the U18 Premier League South at the Academy.
This game will also be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Saturday morning (13th December, 12:00 GMT) -click HERE to learn more about Palace TV+ and subscribe today!
Can’t watch live? Stay up to date with live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page and look out for the full match report and reaction on our Academy news section shortly after the final whistle.
Javier Alonso’s side remain perched at the top of the U18 Premier League South, level on 21 points with Chelsea and last season’s treble winners Aston Villa.
Palace’s superior goal difference keeps them ahead of Villa, while nothing currently separates the young Eagles and the Blues, who both boast +18. With defeats few and far between, the mood in the camp is buoyant.
That momentum was carried into the FA Youth Cup last Friday at Selhurst Park, where we secured our place in the Fourth Round with a richly deserved 3–0 win in wet and blustery conditions.
Against Bradford City, Palace controlled proceedings from the outset. They created a steady stream of chances despite the swirling wind and rain, only to be repeatedly denied by a resilient defensive display and an excellent performance from ‘keeper Jack Robinson. The hosts dominated possession but reached half-time frustrated after a series of near misses.
The breakthrough finally arrived after the interval when Joel Drakes-Thomas was brought down in the penalty area, with Benji Casey stepping up to dispatch the penalty with authority.
From there the young Eagles surged forward, and substitute Stuart Oduro made an immediate impact, scoring twice in quick succession to seal a convincing 3–0 victory. It was a proud night for the Academy, with several U16s making their Selhurst Park debuts in front of the home support.
With cup progress secured, attention now shifts back to league duties as Palace look to close out 2025 on top.
Norwich approach the final round of pre-Christmas fixtures sitting second from bottom on seven points. Their 2025/26 campaign began with a narrow 2–1 defeat to Arsenal, followed by losses against Tottenham and Brighton.
They found more success in the Premier League Cup with a 2–0 win over Stoke City, and improvement continued with credible draws against high-flying Southampton and a strong West Brom side, plus a narrow 2–1 victory over Ipswich.
Consistency, however, has proved elusive. A heavy 4–1 defeat to Peterborough United in the Premier League Cup halted progress, and though a 2–1 loss to Birmingham followed, Norwich steadied themselves with a series of draws – against Chelsea and Reading in the league and Arsenal in the Premier League Cup.
The club’s recent 3–2 win over Stoke City in the FA Youth Cup means they arrive in south London four matches unbeaten across all competitions.
Since the COVID-era restructure, Norwich have struggled to gain traction in the U18 Premier League South, not finishing higher than ninth and recording consecutive bottom-place finishes in 20/21 and 21/22, followed by 11th-place finishes in both 23/24 and 24/25.
Check out Rio Mundle's leveller in the Youth Cup victory over Stoke, below.
Norwich Expected XI: Ruddy; Oligbo, Okpiabhele, Rowland, Ozcan, Cooper, Glossop, Mundle, Wilkes, Tavares, Corke.
Norwich’s XI is expected to remain largely unchanged. Jack Ruddy in goal; Finlay Oligbo, Oser Okpiabhele, Sonny Rowland and Vatan Ozcan in defence; Reuben Cooper, Jake Glossop and Rio Mundle across midfield; and Reece Wilkes, Tavares Muntunda and Finlay Corke leading the attack.
Vatan Ozcan and Zach Sclare will likely compete for a defensive place, while in attack Reuben Cooper may face competition from Jeremiah Sinclair-Brown.
The Canaries have taken seven points from their opening 10 matches – two short of the maximum of 12 fixtures played by some clubs – with a record of one win, four draws and five losses.
No side in the division has drawn more matches than Norwich, while their 11 goals scored is the joint lowest tally in the league alongside Ipswich and Birmingham. Their defensive record is more respectable with only 18 conceded, just two fewer than Palace.
Hear Finlay Corke's post-match thoughts following the win against Stoke in the Youth Cup, below.
Finlay Corke is Norwich’s biggest attacking threat and the club’s current top scorer with five league goals.
The forward, who signed his first professional contract in November 2024, has been prolific at younger age groups and has already featured heavily at both U18 and U21 levels.
His 881 minutes of action this season is second only to centre-back Sonny Rowland, who leads the group with 900 minutes.
Rowland himself is a crucial figure in this Norwich side. A composed and industrious midfielder-turned-defender, he tops the squad for passes attempted (407) and ranks third for tackles made (19). Rowland joined Norwich from Watford’s youth system in 2022 and has become a central figure in Greg Crane’s U18 squad.
Head coach Greg Crane is steeped in Norwich history. Once a promising youth prospect, he transitioned from midfield to central defence during the 2000/01 campaign and delivered a Man-of-the-Match performance in Norwich’s FA Youth Cup triumph over Aston Villa in December 2002.
Crane trained with the first team during the 2002/03 season and captained the reserves before departing the club in 2004.
His senior playing career took him to Lowestoft, where he won the Ridgeons League title in 2005/06, and later to King’s Lynn, helping them secure the Southern League crown before competing in the Conference South.
After spells with Lowestoft and Norwich United, Crane returned to Carrow Road in a coaching capacity, starting with the Under-9s before progressing through the Academy. He now leads the Under-18s, continuing his long association with the club.
See Greg Crane, below.
This game will also be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Saturday morning (29th November, 11:00 GMT) -click HERE to learn more about Palace TV+ and subscribe today!
Can’t watch live? Stay up to date with live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page and look out for the full match report on our Academy news section shortly after the final whistle.
Crystal Palace U18s v Norwich City U18s
