Gerard Nash wants Aston Villa to embrace the occasion when they contest the Under-18 Premier League Cup final on Thursday.
The Young Lions have home advantage against Tottenham Hotspur, with a good crowd expected at Villa Park. You can secure your seat now, buy tickets here.
Nash, who is Under-18 Professional Development Coach, hopes his team can show their skills under the lights in B6.
“I can’t wait,” he said.
“I just want to see the players embrace it and relish it; I know they’re really looking forward to it.
“It’s a showpiece event at this level, which you don’t always get to play in.
“I can’t wait for the night. We’ve got some really good players and I want to see them show their talent.
“They’ll want to win and do well, but we really want to see them express themselves and show everyone what they’re about.”
The Young Lions' route to the final began in the group stages back in September, progressing as winners of Group C before sweeping Southampton aside 4-0 in the quarter-finals.
Kadan Young’s late winner helped Villa past Charlton Athletic 3-2 in the semi-final to set up the clash against Spurs.
Nash is proud of the team effort that’s brought Villa to the final and within reach of potentially winning a trophy.
He said: “We’re delighted with them, it’s not easy to get there.
“Ourselves and Spurs are the last two standing. What’s really pleased me in many respects is how many players have been involved in the cup run.
“It’s our sixth game and everyone in the squad has been involved and played their part in the five games so far. Players and staff, it’s very much a team effort.
“There have been some tough games and it’s been a tough journey, so they’ve done really well to get there.”
Aston Villa v Tottenham
U18 Premier League Cup final
