Crystal Palace Under-21s take on Middlesbrough on Monday (9th February, 13:00 GMT) with hopes of returning to winning ways – here’s everything you need to know!
The match will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Monday evening (9th February), with coverage beginning at 18:45 GMT ahead of a 19:00 GMT 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+.
Palace currently sit 16th in Premier League 2 on 17 points, clinging to the final play-off spot in the all-important top 16. While that may look precarious on paper, context is everything.
The young Eagles hold a crucial game in hand over Brighton, who sit just outside the play-off places in 17th, one point behind Palace. There are also games in hand over Everton and Aston Villa, both on 18 points, meaning Palace’s destiny remains firmly in their own hands.
After a frustrating run of postponements and an away defeat to Chelsea, Palace kickstarted 2026 in emphatic style with a thumping 6-0 win over Derby County, courtesy of six different goalscorers. That momentum was halted last time out, however, as the young Eagles fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Ipswich Town.
A major positive from that fixture was the return of Jewish Umolu, who marked his comeback from a loan spell at Bromley with a first-half goal.
Now, attention turns to Monday’s meeting with Middlesbrough, as Palace look to return to winning ways and strengthen their grip on a play-off place.
Middlesbrough arrive in south London sitting 18th in the Premier League 2 table on 14 points, level with Nottingham Forest and Leeds. They are just two points behind Brighton at the summit of the cross-cut play-off places and three adrift of Palace, highlighting just how fine the margins are in the race for a top-16 finish.
After a challenging start to the campaign that saw them win just once in their opening eight matches, Boro have found momentum in recent weeks and are now unbeaten in their last five. That upturn in form has been eye-catching, not least a thumping 6-1 victory over then-second-placed Ipswich Town.
Resilience has also been a feature of Mark Tinkler’s side. They were agonisingly denied a win against Fulham - the league’s only unbeaten team - when Grenada youth international Jayden Quashie struck a 99th-minute equaliser.
In 2026, Middlesbrough have played four matches, recording two wins and two draws, and their most recent outing underlined that fighting spirit.
Boro came from three goals down to draw 3-3 at home to West Ham United, with Oliver Samuels netting twice before captain George McCormick’s late strike completed a remarkable comeback and extended their unbeaten run into the new year.
To minimise the impact of relegation on future groups of Under-21 players, the Premier League introduced a new format to its development phase competition in 2023/24.
Replacing the two-division system, the 26 Category One academies now compete in a single tier, with each team playing 20 regular-season fixtures. The top 16 sides then progress to a single-elimination play-off phase.
Fixtures are determined by a draw based on clubs’ performances over the previous three seasons, with each team facing 20 different opponents. In the play-offs, teams are seeded by league position, with the higher-ranked side hosting each tie.
Finishing inside the top 12 also secures qualification for the following season’s Premier League International Cup.
Connor, Daley, Baptiste, McCormick, Dede, Johnson, Samuels, McCabe, Patterson-Powell, Ibeh, Hansen
Layton Campbell and Frankie Coulson could both come into contention in the forward areas, potentially replacing Rio Patterson-Powell and Cruz Ibeh.
Boro’s season so far reads: three wins, five draws and two defeats. Their return of 22 goals scored places them just outside the league’s top 10 attacking sides, although they have conceded 18 - more than several teams around them, including Brighton and Forest.
Their recent form is encouraging, however, with a sequence of draw, win, win, draw meaning they are unbeaten in their last five matches and yet to taste defeat in 2026.
Away from home, Middlesbrough currently rank 17th, having recorded one win, three draws and one loss on their travels.
With leading scorer Sonny Finch currently on loan at South Shields, attention turns to Cruz Ibeh as the key figure for Boro.
A Teesside local, Cruz has been with Middlesbrough since Under-9 level and continues to progress rapidly through the academy ranks. The 17-year-old has scored three goals for the Under-18s this season and recently made his Under-21s debut against Norwich City.
He has also trained regularly with the first team, and his development was rewarded with his first professional contract in November after only becoming a scholar over the summer.
Mark Tinkler was appointed Under-21s lead coach in December 2021 following the departure of Graeme Lee.
Born in Bishop Auckland, Tinkler is a former England youth international who made over 400 appearances during his playing career. He joined Middlesbrough’s academy as a coach nearly a decade ago and was promoted to Under-18s lead coach in 2016.
Since then, he has overseen the development of numerous academy graduates who have gone on to feature for the first team, continuing Boro’s strong tradition of producing homegrown talent.
The match will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Monday evening (9th February), with coverage beginning at 18:45 GMT ahead of a 19:00 GMT 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+.
Crystal Palace U21s vs Middlesbrough U21s
Tickets can also be purchased by clicking here and will be issued at the point of sale as PDF print-at-home tickets.
