Fulham Under-21s host Olympique Lyonnais in the Premier League International Cup Semi-Final at Craven Cottage on Tuesday evening, 7pm kick-off.
Nottingham Forest are already confirmed Finalists having beaten Athletic Bilbao at the City Ground last week, and Hayden Mullins’ side will have to get past a Lyon side who have kept four clean sheets in five games in order to set up a Final with the Tricky Trees.
The story so far
Our Young Whites haven’t always had it their own way in this competition, but have shown resilience to reach this stage. That was highlighted in the Quarter-Final clash against Sporting CP, where Mullins’ men were left stunned after going behind within three minutes, but goals from Imani Lanquedoc and Terrell Works completed the turnaround.
Coming from behind isn’t anything that our youngsters aren’t used to, winning from losing positions on seven different occasions this season. In our opening International Cup fixture against PSV back in September, we fought back to earn a point in a thrilling 4-4 draw after finding ourselves 3-0 down.
With just two goals conceded in five matches, Lyon’s success in the International Cup has been built upon a solid defensive record. Those two goals were both conceded in defeat at Sunderland, but otherwise, wins over Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, West Ham United and Valencia – won by a combined score of 9-0 - have been routine.
Osmand: We can beat any team
Osmand, who has five goals in the competition, was on club media duties ahead of the Semi-Final clash.
“It’s going to be tough,” he said. “Hopefully we can break them down and get rid of that clean sheet record! We’re expecting them to be good and we’ve just got to show the best of ourselves on the night. We know we can beat any team.
“Everyone’s target at the start of the season was to win at least one trophy. We let the league slip a little bit, but we were close to that. Everyone wants a piece of silverware. We don’t want to end the season with nothing.
“I reckon we’ll play well, sharp and we should perform. We’re always good at the Cottage, and we know when the fans are behind us, we can play well.”
Tickets
Priced at just £3 for adults and £1 for concessions, tickets are on sale online and from Craven Cottage on the evening of the game. Cash payments are not accepted.
Coverage
Tuesday’s fixture will be streamed live on FFCtv, free for all UK-based fans, with no subscription required. The stream will begin at approximately 6:50pm, with Gentleman Jim describing the action from the Cottage.
There will be live updates on the @FulhamAcademy X page, with highlights and post-match reaction to follow on our website.
