Jimmy Shan expects the Under-18 Premier League National Final to be a “massive occasion” when his Aston Villa side take on Manchester City at Villa Park on Saturday.
Having won the South title with a game to spare, the Young Lions now meet the North champions City, who lost just one league match this term, to decide the fate of the national title.
Shan is embracing the chance for his FA Youth Cup-winning squad to end a positive season on a high note.
“The season’s coming to the end but the only thing we’ve said to the boys is that it’s a privilege to be in the position of having such a big game to conclude your season,” he said.
“There’s been a good energy around the group. A lot of clubs are winding down now, but we’ve obviously got this massive game and massive occasion at Villa Park to look forward to.
“We’re doing exactly that and looking forward to the day.”
The National Final takes place just under two weeks on from the Youth Cup final, when Villa beat City 3-1 in front of 25,000 supporters at Villa Park.
The Cityzens scored inside of two minutes before the home side roared back to record the club’s fifth triumph in the competition.
Shan is expecting a reaction from their opponents when they meet again in B6.
He said: “Goals change games as we all know, and the game could have been very, very different.
“They had a threat as we expected them to have and they had some big chances. We managed to be more clinical in and around their penalty area and defended our penalty area better than they did at times.
“We know they pose a threat and that they have some exciting talent. We’re going to have to be right on our game again on Saturday to make sure we overcome that.”