The first u21 Premier League Cup is the prize if the Blues can hold onto or improve on their one-goal advantage from the first-leg.
Patrick Vieira’s side found themselves 2-0 down half an hour into that game at the Etihad Stadium, before a Devante Cole brace and a Marcos Lopes penalty turned the match around.
That meant that City had won their last three u21 Premier League Cup games 3-2.
Highlights of the final first-leg
For the likes of Shay Facey, George Glendon, Jordy Hiwula and Greg Leigh who’ve all been at the club for more than ten years, being 90 minutes away from silverware is almost uncharted territory.
While many of the team that will travel to Berkshire clinched the Al Ain International Juniors Championship with City u18s in Abu Dhabi in 2012, they have never won a national trophy on home shores in all their years at City.
Facey, who signed a new two year deal at the club at the start of the month, is desperate to right this wrong.
“We have to win something this year,” he said.
“With the expectations of the club, with where it’s going, we have to put ourselves out there and say “we are winners” if we’re going to fit into the first-team environment down the line.
“If you’re going into a game with any mentality, other than, we’re going to win, I don’t really see the point in playing.
...Shay Facey...
“We expect to win games and we expect to win by a few goals and not concede - those are the standards we’ve set ourselves.”
Tickets are £3 for adults and £1 for concessions and the postcode for the Madejski Stadium is RG2 0FL. Parking is free.
For those who can’t make it, we’ll have live Twitter updates, a full match report on the site after full-time and match highlights and reaction on Monday.
Kick-off is at 3pm.
