Goals from Tom Dele-Bashiru, Sadou Diallo and Lukas Nmecha saw Lee Carsley’s impressive youngsters past Liverpool on Wednesday night and into the last 16 of the traditional tournament.
Having seen off two of the biggest names in the shape of Liverpool and Reading, City will be full of confidence heading into the knockout match.
When and where?
Southampton will make the long journey north to the Academy Stadium for the match, which will be played on Thursday 26th January at 7pm.
Southampton’s cup route and form
Heading up to the North West doesn’t seem to be too daunting for our opponents, who have beaten both Manchester United and Wigan Athletic 2-1 to make it this far.
The U18 Premier League is currently still split into regions, meaning the two sides haven’t met this season, and Southampton are tenth in the southern section.
Who to look out for
Saints are coached by former Norwich City central defender Craig Fleming, who often lines his side up in a 4-3-3 formation that is similar to City’s system.
Striker Jonathan Afolabi is an excellent target for midfielders and his determination will mean City’s central defenders, including captain Joel Latibeaudiere, will have to be on their guard.
City’s eligible players
Alongside City’s regular stars in the U18 Premier League, a number of Premier League 2 regulars are also available for selection in this tournament. That means the likes of Brahim Diaz, Lukas Nmecha, Sadou Diallo and Demeaco Duhaney are likely to feature.
City’s proud statistics
City’s only loss across all competitions at U18 level since November 2015 was the second leg of last year’s FA Youth Cup final against Chelsea.
City have the most points and best goal difference across both regions in the U18 Premier League and they are lethal in front of goal.
Other matches in the round
Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa v FC Broxbourne Borough, Sunderland v Newcastle United, Tottenham v Norwich City, Stoke City v Brighton, Middlesbrough v Leicester, Preston North End v Wimbledon
Want to keep up with the latest EDS and academy news? Follow the official Twitter account, @ManCityAcademy.
