U18s preview Palace v Arsenal: Young Eagles host Arsenal in final Academy game of the season
Crystal Palace Under-18s conclude their 2025/26 campaign on Saturday morning (13th May, 11:00 BST) when they welcome Arsenal to Copers Cope in the final Academy fixture of the season – here’s everything you need to know!
Eagle-Eyed Review
It has been a challenging yet memorable closing period of the season for Palace. Last time out, the young Eagles suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa despite producing a spirited second-half display at the Academy.
Reduced to 10 men following Joel Drakes-Thomas’ dismissal, Javier Alonso’s side nevertheless showed excellent character and pushed Villa all the way after David Angibeaud’s late strike set up a tense finish.
The defeat followed a difficult afternoon on the road against West Bromwich Albion, where Palace fell to a 4-0 defeat in their final away fixture of the campaign.
However, recent results do not fully reflect the circumstances surrounding the squad during the closing weeks of the season. Injuries to several key players, alongside the absence of a number of U16 regulars due to GCSE examinations, have significantly impacted selection options for the Academy staff.
Prior to those defeats, Palace had produced some outstanding performances, including a thrilling 6-3 victory away at Ipswich Town and an impressive 3-2 win over Arsenal at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.
Regardless of Saturday’s result, the 2025/26 season will be remembered as one of the most successful and historic Academy campaigns in recent years.
The young Eagles lifted the U18 Premier League Cup for the first time following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Manchester United at Selhurst Park in front of more than 4,000 supporters.
Benji Casey’s stoppage-time equaliser forced extra-time before Dean Benamar converted the decisive penalty in sudden death to secure a memorable night in SE25.
Only days earlier, Palace had narrowly missed out on a place in the Youth Cup final after falling to a 2-1 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford – the club’s first appearance at that stage of the competition in almost 30 years.
The defeat to Aston Villa leaves Palace sixth in the U18 Premier League South on 45 points heading into the final fixture, with Alonso’s side now focused on ending the campaign strongly on home soil.
Our Opponents – Arsenal
Arsenal arrive in south London with a youthful squad that has experienced significant rotation throughout the season.
A number of the Gunners’ leading scholars have spent considerable time stepping up into Under-21 football during the campaign, with Max Porter’s side reaching the Premier League 2 play-offs before suffering defeat against Manchester City in the Round of 16.
Goalkeeper Jack Porter, defenders Marli Salmon and Theo Julienne, midfielder Ife Ibrahim and striker Andre Harriman-Annous have all featured regularly at the higher level.
Meanwhile, Hale End graduate Max Dowman has continued to make intermittent appearances for the U18 and U21s side throughout the season.
The movement of players between age groups has seen Arsenal rely heavily on younger schoolboy talents across the campaign, offering valuable experience to several members of their academy setup.
Results have been mixed for Adam Birchall’s side. After a competitive opening half of the season, the young Gunners endured a difficult run of form before recently showing signs of improvement.
A draw against Leicester City and comeback victory over West Ham United provided encouragement, although Arsenal were edged out by Reading in their penultimate fixture despite Louis Zečević-John finding the net once again.
The visitors currently sit 11th in the U18 Premier League South standings on 32 points and could still climb above Fulham into 10th place with victory on Saturday.
U18 Premier League Explained…
The U18 Premier League is divided into two regional divisions featuring all 29 Category One academies across England.
Fifteen clubs compete in the southern division, while 14 feature in the northern section. The competition includes academies from the Premier League, Championship and League One.
Teams face one another home and away across the regular season, before the northern and southern champions meet in a one-off National Final to determine the overall U18 Premier League champions.
Chelsea and Manchester City have already secured their respective divisional titles and will meet in this season’s National Final.
Previous Meeting...
The two sides met only a few weeks ago, with Palace producing an impressive away performance to secure a 3-2 victory at Arsenal’s Sobha Realty Training Centre.
Donte Martin’s brace inspired the young Eagles to all three points, as Alonso’s side returned to winning ways with an attacking display full of energy and quality in the final third.
Likely line-up
Arsenal expected XI: Lupinski, Zecevic-John, Owusu-Gyasi, Stachow, Abubakar, Murisa, Sampang, Nwaneri, Arteta, Phillips, Thompson.
Team News
Arsenal are expected to once again field a youthful side featuring a mixture of scholars and younger academy players stepping up from the Under-16 age group.
Gabriel Arteta, son of Arsenal first-team manager Mikel Arteta, has featured regularly in recent weeks, while several players involved with the Under-21s earlier in the campaign could also return following the conclusion of Premier League 2 action.
Emerson Nwaneri, absent from the previous meeting between the sides, is among those who could strengthen Birchall’s squad for the final fixture of the season.
Pre-Match Analysis
Arsenal enter the final weekend of the season in 11th place on 32 points, knowing victory could lift them above Fulham into 10th position.
The young Gunners have recorded nine wins, five draws and 13 defeats from their 27 league fixtures, scoring 44 goals while conceding 55.
Recent form has been inconsistent, with Arsenal collecting one win, one draw and three defeats from their last five matches.
Palace, meanwhile, will be aiming to end the campaign positively following consecutive defeats, with Alonso’s side looking to rediscover the attacking fluency shown in recent victories over Ipswich Town and Arsenal earlier in the month.
Key Player – Louis Zečević-John
Forward Louis Zečević-John arrives at the Palace Academy in strong form, having registered four goals and one assist across his previous five matches.
The attacker also found the net during Palace’s 3-2 victory over Arsenal in the previous meeting between the sides.
Capable of operating across the frontline or in deeper wide areas, Zečević-John enjoyed a productive breakthrough season at U18 level last year, contributing goals and assists consistently during the closing months of the campaign.
Eligible internationally for both England and Serbia, the versatile forward has recently represented Serbia at youth level.
The Gaffer – Adam Birchall
Adam Birchall was appointed Arsenal Under-18s head coach in October 2024 after previously serving as assistant within the academy setup.
A former Arsenal scholar himself, Birchall came through the club’s academy system during the early 2000s alongside players including Justin Hoyte and Sebastian Larsson.
Following his playing career, he returned to Hale End in a coaching capacity in 2016 and has continued progressing through Arsenal’s academy structure ever since.
How to follow
The match will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Saturday morning (16th May), with coverage beginning at 10:45 BST ahead of a 11:00 BST kick-off – click HERE to find out more and subscribe.
Supporters can follow live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page, with a full match report and reaction published shortly after full-time in our Academy news section.
Highlights and extended reaction will be available on Palace TV+.
Match Details
Crystal Palace Under-18s v Arsenal Under-18s
- Saturday, 16th May
- 11:00 BST
- Crystal Palace Academy
- U18 Premier League South
- Watch LIVE on Palace TV+