Crystal Palace Under-18s host Aston Villa in their final Group C fixture of the U18 Premier League Cup on Saturday (KO 12:00 GMT), knowing victory is essential to keeping their title defence alive.
After an opening defeat to Nottingham Forest, Donte Martin’s hat-trick inspired a 3-0 victory over Leeds United to put the Young Eagles back in contention.
Palace lifted the trophy for the first time last season, overcoming Manchester United on penalties in front of around 4,000 supporters at Selhurst Park.
Only the winners of the competition’s eight groups progress to the quarter-finals.
Villa currently lead Group C on four points, with Palace second on three, level with Nottingham Forest but ahead on goal difference (+2 to -5). Leeds sit bottom on one point.
Victory would take Palace to six points and pretty much guarantee top spot in the group and a place in the quarter-finals.
Villa would remain on four points, while even a Forest win over Leeds would not be enough unless they won by at least eight goals more than Palace’s winning margin to overhaul the Young Eagles’ goal difference.
A point would take Palace to four points, but Villa would finish on five and qualify as group winners, provided Forest fail to beat Leeds. A Forest victory would see them finish above Palace, leaving the Young Eagles eliminated.
Defeat would end Palace’s hopes of progressing, with Villa securing top spot in Group C.
The quarter-finals are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, 2nd February. Further details will be confirmed through the Academy’s official X account and news section in due course.
Both fixtures will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+, with the U18s hosting Aston Villa at 12:00 GMT on Saturday and the U21s welcoming Everton at 12:00 GMT on Sunday.
Supporters can also follow live updates and commentary on our Academy X account, with match reports and reaction published shortly after full-time in the Academy news section.
Highlights and extended reaction will be available on Palace TV+, while the official Crystal Palace FC app will provide goal alerts and key match notifications.
Palace U18s v Aston Villa U18s