Crystal Palace Under-21s face German side Borussia Mönchengladbach in our final, must-win Premier League International Cup group-stage fixture on Wednesday (21st January, 19:00 GMT) at Sutton’s VBS Community Stadium – get the full lowdown below.
Tickets for the game are available here.
The match will be streamed live on Palace TV+ on Wednesday evening (19th January, 19:00 GMT) – click HERE to learn more about Palace TV+ and subscribe today!
Can’t watch live? Follow live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page, with a full match report and reaction available shortly after full-time in our Academy news section.
Highlights will also be available on Palace TV+.
Darren Powell’s side didn’t get 2026 off to the start they would have wanted, falling to a 4-1 defeat away to Chelsea in Premier League 2. However, attention now turns firmly to the Premier League International Cup, where Palace have the opportunity to extend their European journey.
Palace currently sit fourth in Group B on six points, with one game remaining against group leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach, who sit on nine points.
With Nordsjælland, Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, Leicester City and Juventus all unable to qualify for the quarter-finals, it is now a three-horse race between Mönchengladbach, Valencia and Palace – with goal difference likely to prove decisive.
Palace opened their International Cup campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Valencia, before responding superbly with a statement 3-1 victory over Italian giants Juventus.
Powell’s side were electric in that contest, racing into a commanding first-half lead. Adler Nascimento broke the deadlock after 11 minutes with a cushioned volley from a tight angle, before Seb Williams doubled the advantage with a crisp half-volley into the near corner. Benji Casey capped off a dominant opening period with his first goal for at U21 level.
Although Juventus pulled one back late on, Palace held their nerve – helped by a brilliant goal-line block from George King – to secure a deserved win.
That momentum continued with a thrilling 3-2 victory over FC Nordsjælland. Dylan Reid opened the scoring with a stunning follow-up after his free-kick was blocked, before Casey doubled the lead by lifting the ball over the goalkeeper in a one-on-one. Reid added a third from the penalty spot midway through the second half, and despite late pressure from the Danish side, the young Eagles saw the game out to keep qualification hopes alive.
Like Juventus, Borussia Mönchengladbach do not operate a traditional U21s side. Instead, their reserve team – Borussia Mönchengladbach II – competes in senior football against semi-professional and fully professional opposition.
Gladbach II currently compete in the Regionalliga West, the fourth tier of German football. The league represents the first step of senior football below the national divisions, with teams split regionally.
Mönchengladbach have a long-standing reputation for developing young talent. Nicknamed Die Fohlen (The Foals) for their youthful and energetic style, the club built sustained success in the 1970s by developing homegrown players, winning the Bundesliga five times during that decade.
That philosophy continues today, with their reserve side acting as a bridge between academy football and the Bundesliga. World-class players such as Lothar Matthäus and Marc-André ter Stegen emerged from the club’s system.
This season, Gladbach II sit sixth in the Regionalliga West, level on 32 points with Borussia Dortmund II, and arrive in good form.
In the Premier League International Cup, they have impressed – edging past both West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City by 3-2 scorelines before recording a comfortable 2-0 victory over Fulham.
First introduced in the 2014/15 season, the Premier League International Cup was designed to give Premier League academies valuable experience against elite international opposition.
The competition features the top 16 finishers from Premier League 2 alongside 16 invited international academy sides. Teams are split into four groups of eight, each containing four PL2 clubs and four international teams.
Each side plays four group-stage fixtures, with PL2 clubs hosting international opponents. The top two teams from each group progress to the quarter-finals.
Every side in Group B has completed their four matches except Palace and Borussia Mönchengladbach, meaning Wednesday night will decide the final qualification picture under the lights in Sutton.
Gladbach currently sit on nine points with a goal difference of +4 (8:4), level on points with Valencia, who also have nine points but a slightly inferior goal difference of +3 (8:5). Palace enter the final round on seven points with a goal difference of +2 (6:4).
Darren Powell’s side know that only a victory over Mönchengladbach will give them a chance of reaching the knockout stages. A draw or defeat would see Palace eliminated.
With all three sides potentially able to finish level on nine points, goal difference is likely to be decisive. A win by two goals or more would place Palace in a strong position to secure qualification, while a narrower victory would leave the young Eagles reliant on goal difference and other tie-breakers.
Borussia Mönchengladbach expected XI: Trippel, Uwakhonye, Meiser, Lieder, Berko, Fleck, Stange, Vidic, Adozi, Güner, Michaelis.
Mönchengladbach’s starting XI has been relatively settled in recent weeks, though Danfa and Dasbach could feature ahead of Adozi and Güner depending on selection.
Mönchengladbach arrive in south London top of Group B with a 100% record, having won all three of their International Cup fixtures to date. They have scored eight goals – joint-most in the group – and boast one of the strongest attacking returns in the competition.
Domestically, Gladbach II have also found consistency, winning three of their last five Regionalliga West matches, including back-to-back victories over Bocholt and Bochum.
Jan Urbich has enjoyed a prolific season since joining the Gladbach U23s for the 2025/26 campaign. He made a remarkable start in the Regionalliga West, scoring 11 goals in his first eight matches, earning a call-up to the Bundesliga squad under then-caretaker head coach Eugen Polanski, who handed him his senior debut.
Fritz Fleck joined Gladbach from Borussia Dortmund’s U19s ahead of the 2024/25 season and impressed immediately. He scored nine goals and registered four assists in the DFB Youth League and has continued that form at senior level. Despite being eligible for the U19s, Fleck has featured regularly for Gladbach II and has already scored three goals in the Premier League International Cup this season.
Sascha Eickel began his managerial career at SC Neheim before moving into academy football with Paderborn and later Borussia Dortmund, where he coached both the U17 and U19 sides.
After nine years at Eintracht Braunschweig – progressing from youth coach to assistant manager – Eickel joined Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2019 as U19 manager. The 50-year-old currently oversees both the U19s and U23s and will be on the sidelines for the remainder of the campaign. This comes after Eugen Polanski earned promotion as first-team manager.
The match will be streamed live on Palace TV+ on Wednesday evening (19th January, 19:00 GMT) – click HERE to learn more about Palace TV+ and subscribe today!
Can’t watch live? Follow live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page, with a full match report and reaction available shortly after full-time in our Academy news section.
Highlights will also be available on Palace TV+.
Crystal Palace Under-21s v Borussia Monchengladbach Under-21s
