A place in the quarter finals is at stake when Aston Villa host Burton Albion in the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday afternoon.
The Young Lions’ cup run has accounted for Reading and Brighton & Hove Albion so far, with an impressive 3-0 win against the Seagulls the highlight.
Newly crowned Premier League 2 Player of the Month Aaron Ramsey is among the Villans looking to make a name for themselves and help Villa reach the last eight.
Liam Bramley, Assistant Lead PDP U18 Coach, said: “There’s a real buzz around the group for this competition and they see it as a real opportunity to showcase themselves as individuals and as a group.
“We’re fully behind them. It’s great that players are picking up those individual awards, but we’re hoping for a collective performance on Wednesday.
“Off the back of that, there will be some individuals that do themselves justice.”
Burton are sure to provide tough opposition at Villa Park, having come through four rounds to be the only Category 3 academy left standing.
The Brewers beat Worcester City and Mansfield Town in the first two rounds before pulling off upsets against Stoke City and Southampton.
Lead PDP U18 Coach Sean Verity believes Villa will have to show their quality to see off Albion.
He said: “It’s a pretty big game for them, having come through the games they have to get to this point.
“They’ll definitely have some energy about them, and I would guess that we’ll have to be patient and keep moving the ball around.
“We have players who can unlock defences given time and space.”
Supporters can watch the game live on VillaTV by buying a match pass via the link below.
