When and where
Lee Carsley’s youngsters welcome their West London counterparts to the Academy Stadium on Tuesday 18 April and the game will kick off at 7.45pm.
Tickets for this game are free for all supporters, but you must claim your ticket in advance in order to attend the match.
You can claim online at mancity.com/tickets and in person at the Etihad Stadium Ticket Office located on the first floor of the City Store.
If you can’t make it, you can watch all the action live on ITV4, while we’ll be providing live updates on Twitter - @ManCityAcademy.
Route to the final
City have dazzled and delighted on route to the final, with stellar showings against Reading, Liverpool and Southampton as they reached the last eight. A hard fought victory over Aston Villa saw them safely through the semi-final, which produced a devastating display from the youngsters.
Winning 9-2 on aggregate, Carsley’s men effectively sealed their final spot with an emphatic 6-0 first leg victory at the Academy Stadium.
The reigning champions path to the final has been remarkably similar.
Chelsea scored 14 goals without reply in the early rounds against Cardiff City, Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday.
Like City, the free scoring came to a halt in the quarter-final, when they beat Leicester 1-0, before turning it on in style against Spurs in the last four.
A 2-1 away win gave them an advantage midway in the tie and they capitalised at home, putting seven goals past their London rivals.
Previous meetings
The two sides meet for a third consecutive time in the Youth Cup final, with City looking for a first win in the showpiece game against Stamford Bridge side.
The likes of Joel Latibeaudiere and Lukas Nmecha were in the starting line-up last year as our youngsters went down 4-2 on aggregate. Aaron Nemane scored for Jason Wilcox’s side in a 1-1 home draw, with Brahim Diaz on target as Chelsea won 3-1 to lift the cup in front of their own fans.
It was a similiar story during the 2014/15 campaign, as the London club were crowned champions after a 5-2 win over two legs. Tosin Adarabioyo skippered the U18s that year, while Kelechi Iheanacho made a goal scoring appearance.
Who’s eligible for selection?
A number of EDS players still qualify for selection in this tournament and will compliment the U18 Premier League regulars. Diaz, Nmecha and the likes of Sadou Diallo and Demeaco Duhaney have all played for Simon Davies’ squad this year, but are likely to feature.
League form
Given their convincing performances on route to the final, it’s no surprise that City and Chelsea emerged as champions of the U18 Premier League North and South divisions this season.
Now in the national stage of the competition, City are fourth having won, drawn and lost one from their opening three games.
Chelsea are two points ahead of them in second position with two wins and a defeat on their record.
It was City who inflicted that loss, with Tom Dele-Bashiru and Taylor Richards scoring to hand the home side all three points at the Academy Stadium.
Second leg
English youth football’s flagship game is a two legged affair and Carsley will take his young charges to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 26 April, kick off 7.45pm.
Want to keep up with the latest EDS and academy news? Follow the official Twitter account, @ManCityAcademy.
