Fulham Under-21s begin their PL2 Play-Off campaign on Monday evening at home to Nottingham Forest, 7pm kick-off.
Forest are the second lowest ranked team in the Play-Offs after finishing 15th in the table, but Warren Joyce’s side are not to be underestimated, having reached the Premier League International Cup Final and beating our Young Whites at Motspur Park last month.
The Tricky Trees also defeated us at this exact stage of the Play-Offs last season, with goals from Esapa Osong and Ateef Konaté, so Hayden Mullins’ men will be keen to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself in KT3.
Explained: The Play-Offs
Following the conclusion of the regular PL2 season, the top 16 teams qualifed for the Play-Offs. Teams are seeded based on their final league positions, so Fulham (second) have drawn Forest (15th).
If ties are level after 90 minutes, there will be extra-time, and a penalty shootout if required.
The winner of our tie will face either Southampton or Leicester City in the Quarter-Finals.
The opposition
Our Young Whites have failed to breakdown Forest in our last two meetings with the Reds, but we haven’t been alone in our struggles to unlock their defence. Only three sides conceded less than their 28 goals during the regular season, while they have kept 15 shutouts across all competitions.
They’ve kept three clean sheets in their last four outings, including in their International Cup Semi-Final against Athletic Bilbao and against a Sunderland side who have averaged 2.4 goals per game throughout the campaign.
That 2-0 victory over Bilbao, in front of 1,800 fans at the City Ground, means Forest will battle it out against Lyon for International Cup silverware next month.
Dibley-Dias: Want a reaction
“We went out of the Play-Offs early last year, so we definitely want to bounce back," said Matt Dibley-Dias. "Forest beat us earlier in the season too, so we want a reaction. Hopefully we can go all the way.
“We’ve been really good this season. We want to finish it strong and get a piece of silverware. We want to have something where we can look back on the season, reflect and go ‘yeah, we did something good’, so hopefully we can keep going.”
Coverage
Follow @FulhamAcademy on X to keep up-to-date with the action from Motspur Park. Reaction and highlights will follow on our website.
