By Aston Villa FC

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Aston Villa U23 4
West Brom U23 2

Mark Delaney is looking forward to seeing his Young Lions take on West Bromwich Albion at Bodymoor Heath on Friday night.

The Under-23s coach says his players are up to the task of facing their local rivals as they continue their Premier League 2 campaign, with the game being streamed live on VillaTV+ from 5.45pm.

Youngsters Finley Thorndike, Finn Azaz and Tim Iroegbunam made the switch from the Baggies to Villa in the summer, adding intrigue to the game.

U23: Aston Villa v Fulham

Delaney said: “Every game we’ve had has been a challenge, but this brings a different dimension to it.

“We’ve got some players that we’ve brought in from West Brom, our Academy Manager is from there, but we’re just treating it as another opportunity for players to show what they’ve got in front of the first-team staff.

“Individually, can they be the best player on the pitch, and collectively can we show what the Academy’s about and how we play.

“It’s always a challenge and every player is looking forward to it.”

Villa are fifth in the table after their opening four matches, winning two, drawing once and suffering their first loss to Norwich City last time out.

With a number of the Under-23 squad out on loan, Delaney has been happy to give younger Academy players their chance to shine.

He said: “Our start’s been a little bit indifferent and results would suggest that. With the squad I have at my disposal, I’ve been quite pleased.

“It says that we’re Under-23s but most of them are 17 and we’ve had a 15-year-old play for us too. I expect some indifferent performances given the age of the group.

“Overall, I’ve been quite pleased.”

Supporters can watch the game with a VillaTV+ subscription. Click below for more information…