A place in the Premier League Cup Semi-Finals is up for grabs when Fulham Under-18s travel to Derby County on Wednesday afternoon, 12pm kick-off.
Having been cruelly knocked out of the FA Youth Cup by Arsenal 11 days ago, the Premier League Cup represents an opportunity for our Young Whites to win silverware this season.
The story so far
Qualification to the knockout stages of the Premier League Cup is no mean feat. 28 teams entered at the group stage, with only the seven group winners and the best-placed runner-up gaining qualification.
Seven points from our three games was enough to see us top the group, with Ali Melloul’s side boasting the best defensive record in the whole tournament, conceding just one goal across those matches.
Maximum points were claimed from our opening two fixtures, with Middlesbrough beaten 2-0 at Motspur Park, before Wolves were defeated by the same scoreline despite a difficult battle in the Black Country.
Our youngsters demonstrated maturity beyond their years in the final group game at Aston Villa. Defeat away at the Premier League South table-toppers would have seen us eliminated, but we earned a 1-1 draw at Bodymoor Heath, with a strong defensive performance seeing goalkeeper Dino Kaiser relatively untroubled despite the hosts needing to score.
In the other Quarter-Finals matchups, Liverpool have beaten Chelsea, West Ham won a penalty shootout against Manchester United, while Reading host Everton later this week.
A look at Derby
Goals have been a theme of Derby’s matches so far this season. Across their 20 matches in the league, Premier League Cup and FA Youth Cup, there have been an incredible 106 goals, with every one of their games seeing three or more goals go in.
The Rams are currently third in the Premier League North, while they topped their Premier League Cup group – which included Manchester City - although no team conceded more than their 10 goals across that period.
Coverage
There will be live updates from Moor Farm over on the @FulhamAcademy page on X, with reaction and highlights to follow on our website.
