Aston Villa bid for glory in the FA Youth Cup on Bank Holiday Monday, taking on Manchester City at Villa Park (ko 3pm).
Jimmy Shan's under-18s have enjoyed a productive campaign thus far, with just 90 minutes standing between them and the Youth Cup trophy, while a further two points will secure the Young Lions the Under-18 Premier League South title.
The Villans will be looking to lift the prestigious cup for the fifth time in history, emulating the success of previous triumphs in 1972, 1980, 2002 and most recently four years ago, in 2021.
In order to do so, Shan's players will have to overcome a formidable test in the form of Manchester City, who have already wrapped up the Under-18 Premier League North title last month with a 4-3 victory over Derby County.
After knocking out City's Manchester rivals, United, in the semi-finals, Villa will be looking to pip Oliver Reiss's side - who defeated Watford 1-0 in the last four - to the Youth Cup crown.
The previous outing
Shan's charges booked their place in the final with a dramatic penalty-shoot-out victory over Manchester United at Villa Park last month.
A breathless opening period saw Villa take the lead through Trai-Varn Mulley with just four minutes on the clock, before James Scanlon dragged United level midway through the half.
Aidan Borland missed the target with a penalty for the hosts, as Tyler Fletcher struck the post for the visiting side.
One goal each is how the encounter remained for the rest of the 90 minutes, and the additional half-hour of extra-time, meaning penalties would be required to decide the tie.
The Villans were perfect from the spot - Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba, Keilan Quinn and Max Jenner all finding the net - but it was their goalkeeper Sam Proctor who was the hero, saving from Jimmy Thwaites and Amir Ibragimov as Zac Baumann turned his effort wide to book Villa's spot in the final.
The campaign so far
Villa's shoot-out victory over United in the last four was the only game which has seen them taken beyond 90 minutes during their FA Youth Cup run so far this season.
An emphatic evening at Bodymoor Heath in the third round saw Shan's team open their campaign with a 6-0 victory over Accrington Stanley, thanks to goals from Ben Broggio, Mason Cotcher, Rodrigo Fortes, George Hemmings (2) and Luka Lynch.
A trip to Newcastle United followed in round four, where goals from Cole Brannigan (2), Jack McGrath and Cotcher sealed a 4-0 win and ensured two wins, 10 goals and two clean sheets from their opening two games.
Then in round five came the first real signs of adversity which the Villans were made to battle through. Bristol City visited Bodymoor, and stunned Villa with two goals from Ruebin Sheppard and Tomos Gibbs either side of half-time to give the Robins a 2-0 advantage. But a superb hat-trick from Cotcher, the last two goals in the final five minutes, saw him book his side's place in the quarter-finals in dramatic circumstances, while keeping up his record of having netted in each of the opening three rounds.
Villa Park would be the stage for the last eight meeting with Plymouth Argyle. The visiting defence proved stubborn in the early stages until Jimoh-Aloba broke their resistance just before the break, with the victory sealed in the second period thanks to strikes from Bradley Burrowes and Brannigan, before that sensational shoot-out win over United back in B6 in the last four booked Villa's place in the final.
The venue
Villa Park will again provide the stage for FA Youth Cup action this season, having hosted Villa's quarter-final and semi-final outings against Plymouth and Man United.
The Villans will largely be accustomed to playing in B6, having done so in the two aforementioned FA Youth Cup ties, but also in Vertu Trophy and UEFA Youth League outings against Bradford City and Barcelona this season.
Over 20,000 supporters are already set to be in attendance at Villa Park, with tickets still available to purchase. Supporters in attendance will also be able to purchase a matchday programme - produced by the FA - for just £3, with both cash and card payment available around the outside of Villa Park.
The opposition
Like the Young Lions, Man City's under-18s have a league and cup double in their sights this season, having already been crowned Under-18 Premier League North champions.
Oliver Reiss's side made the final with a 1-0 victory over Watford in the semis, before claiming the aforementioned title last Saturday with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Derby County. They sit four points clear at the top of their league with one game left to play.
The Cityzens kicked off their campaign in this competition with a narrow 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in round three at the beginning of December, before going on to record a comprehensive 5-1 triumph over Millwall in the fourth round a month later.
The fifth and sixth rounds each saw them net six goals away from home at Leeds United, (6-1) and West Bromwich Albion (6-0) respectively, before winning at Vicarage Road last month to book their place in the final.
The coaches
“It’s a prestigious cup competition. It’s a memory that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. We’re trying to hopefully have the added bonus of winning the competition. We’ve had a mantra to compete and develop this season and we’re in a final, so 100%, we’ll be going all in, in terms of trying to win it.”
Jimmy Shan
“You can see that this isn’t a team that hasn’t needed luck to get to the Final. They have incredible players, and I think these are probably the best two sides in the country for their age group. To play at Villa Park is a fantastic opportunity – to have this experience makes every one of these players better. This game will give players a glimpse of where they may one day end up.”
Oliver Reiss
Aston Villa v Manchester City
FA Youth Cup Final
