Crystal Palace Under-18s are set to kickstart 2026 as they welcome West Brom to the Academy in the U18s Premier League South on Saturday (17th January, 11:00 GMT). Here’s everything you need to know ahead of kick-off.
The match will be streamed live on Palace TV+ on Friday evening (16th 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+.
Javier Alonso’s side signed off 2025 in scintillating fashion, with a statement 4-2 victory away at Southampton ensuring the young Eagles remain top of the U18s Premier League South, albeit level on points and goal difference with Chelsea.
That result followed another standout performance, as Palace swept aside Chelsea 4-0 to progress from a fiercely competitive Premier League Cup group that included the Blues and Manchester City, booking their place in the knockout stages in emphatic style.
Add to that a place in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup – secured via a commanding 3-0 victory over Bradford City – and it is clear that if Palace can carry this momentum into 2026, another year of eye-catching performances and notable achievements could lie ahead.
During the interim period, the squad has remained hard at work, combining intensive training with competitive friendlies against the likes of Portsmouth to ensure sharpness ahead of the highly anticipated league return.
West Brom currently sit ninth in the U18s Premier League South on 15 points, having played the maximum 12 fixtures. With both Arsenal and Fulham holding games in hand, the table remains tightly congested in and around the Baggies.
After finishing bottom of the division last season, this year’s cohort has shown clear signs of progress. Indeed, West Brom have already recorded more victories just over halfway through the campaign than they managed across the entirety of last season. Two of those four wins have come against last season’s top-three finishers – Arsenal and Aston Villa – underlining their improvement.
The Baggies made a flying start to the 2025/26 campaign, opening with a dominant 5-0 victory over league newcomers Ipswich Town. A hard-fought goalless draw with Leeds United followed, before a thrilling nine-goal encounter with Southampton ended in a 6-3 defeat. Any loss of momentum proved short-lived, however, as West Brom responded emphatically with an 8-2 demolition of Birmingham City.
October brought fresh challenges, with consecutive defeats to Fulham and Chelsea, but the Baggies quickly bounced back with an impressive 3-2 win over Arsenal. Further consistency followed as they earned a valuable point against Norwich City and recorded a convincing 3-0 victory over Aston Villa, either side of a 5-2 defeat to Reading. A narrow win over Blackburn Rovers and a 1-1 draw with Leicester City saw West Brom head into December having suffered just one defeat in six matches and climbing steadily up the table.
December proved a sterner test. West Brom endured a difficult run, losing 8-1 on aggregate to West Ham and Fulham, before responding with a dramatic 4-3 victory over AFC Bournemouth in the FA Youth Cup third round, surviving a spirited second-half comeback from the Cherries.
West Brom expected starting XI: Moses, Abudu, Dupont, Shaw, Maughan, Blackshields, Amihere, Letlat, Colesby, Francis-Caesar, Parmar.
A half-time substitution could be on the cards, with Antonio Perkins, Remar McNeil and Adam Okorodudu all in contention across different areas of the pitch, from defence through to attack.
West Brom have won four, drawn three and lost five of their league fixtures so far this season. Despite sitting in the lower half of the table, they have been effective going forward, with their 28 goals scored ranking joint-fifth in the division alongside West Ham United.
Defensively, however, the Baggies have been more vulnerable, conceding 29 goals – the fourth-highest tally in the U18s Premier League South – which has hindered their climb up the standings.
They also arrive on the back of a morale-boosting FA Youth Cup victory over AFC Bournemouth and will be keen to translate that momentum into their league form as the campaign progresses.
Harry French progressed rapidly through the youth ranks at West Brom, signing his scholarship in August 2024. A midfielder with a natural eye for goal, French found last season challenging as a first-year scholar, but he has made an excellent start to the current campaign.
So far, the youngster has registered six goals and two assists in just four appearances, emerging as a key attacking influence for the Baggies.
After spending three seasons as Leigh Downing’s assistant before his transition to the Under-21s, Chay Thompson stepped up to take charge of West Brom’s scholarship group ahead of the 2025/26 campaign – a role he has embraced with immediate impact.
Thompson previously spent nearly a decade coaching within Coventry City’s academy before joining West Bromwich Albion in 2022, bringing a wealth of youth development experience to The Hawthorns.
The match will be streamed live on Palace TV+ on Friday evening (16th 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 U18s v West Brom U18s
• Saturday, 17th January<br> • 11:00 GMT<br> • Crystal Palace Academy<br> • U18s Premier League South
