Oliver Reiss and his youngsters will welcome Arsenal to the Joie Stadium on Friday 16 January, with kick-off set for 19:00 (UK).
Tickets for the game are still available here. And for fans with a CITY+ subscription and living in the UK, the match will also be streamed live on mancity.com and the Official Man City App.
16-year-old Samba has been a mainstay in Reiss’ side this season, featuring in a handful of positions, but we’ve seen him thrive in a box-to-box role where he brings strength and wisdom beyond his years, attributes which helped City to a 3-1 comeback win over Fulham in our FA Youth Cup third round tie.
And it’s his hard work and positive performances, which include 12 goals and four assists in all competitions, that also saw him rewarded with his first Premier League 2 start in City’s 8-1 triumph over Burnley last week.
Now, Samba will be looking to build on his own personal confidence in our biggest test this season when we take on the Gunners.
“I’m very confident because the first half of the season was very good and I expected it to be,” began Samba.
“I’m also very happy to get my first PL2 start. No we focus on the FA Youth Cup which we’re really excited for, we’ve got a good squad.
“We’re very confident going into the game, so we expect big things and I think we can get the win.”
It’s been two different league campaigns for the two sides going head-to-head on Friday.
City sit at the Under-18 Premier League North summit with 30 points from 10 wins out of 11.
Arsenal, on the other hand, sit 10th in the South league, with 15 points from four wins, three draws and four defeats.
But it doesn’t mean they won’t be a fierce opponent when we take centre stage at the Joie Stadium, and Samba confirmed the team will be ready for the challenges they will face against Arsenal.
“We know the quality they’ve got, they’ve got a lot of good individuals,” said Samba.
“But we are confident we can match it, if not push each other to be better.
“The FA Youth Cup is exciting. I was part of the squad a little last season and once you get to the latter stages, you get to play in the big stadiums and everything.
“Villa, the final, was a very good atmosphere, so we are looking to achieve the same this season.”
