Crystal Palace Under-21s return to Premier League International Cup action on Wednesday evening when they face RSC Anderlecht at Sutton United’s 360 Engage Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 BST on 14 October. Supporters can attend from £1 or watch the match live on Palace TV+.
The visitors will be represented by RSCA Futures, Anderlecht’s reserve team, who compete in Belgium’s Challenger Pro League alongside senior professional and reserve sides. Palace’s young players will therefore face a side connected to one of Europe’s most respected academies, which has produced Romelu Lukaku, Jérémy Doku, Vincent Kompany, Paul Van Himst and Jef Mermans. French youth international Enzo Sternal, Senegalese forward Pape Aliya N’dao and experienced Belgium international Thomas Foket are among the players who could feature for the visitors.
There is also plenty of Palace talent for supporters to discover. Amaari Sealey, Chuks Okoli and Adler Nascimento recently made non-competitive senior debuts against Bristol City, while Nat Kalembo has already appeared for both the Under-18s and Under-21s and made a first-team bench at just 15. Sealey recorded 47 goal contributions for AFC Wimbledon’s academy last season, and Okoli was Palace’s Under-18 Player of the Season last term.
New arrival Taha Majni is another player to watch after joining from Moroccan club Union Touarga in September. The versatile defender, capable of playing at centre-back or right-back, made 17 senior appearances and helped Morocco win the Under-20 World Cup. Palace’s recent academy graduates also include Joel Drakes-Thomas, who became the club’s youngest-ever Premier League player last season, while George King, Dean Benamar and Benji Casey made their senior debuts against KuPS in the UEFA Conference League.
Palace have already made a strong start to this season’s International Cup, beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 through goals from Adler Nascimento and Seb Williams. The result moved the Young Eagles level with Brighton & Hove Albion at the top of their group, and victory over Anderlecht would provide another important boost towards the quarter-finals. The 32-team competition features four groups of eight, with the top two from each section progressing to the last eight.
The Young Eagles have enjoyed memorable runs in previous editions, reaching the final in 2022/23 before losing 3-1 to Jong PSV and returning to the showpiece a year later after defeating the Dutch side 1-0 through Franco Umeh’s deflected strike. Palace also topped their group last season after victories over Juventus, FC Nordsjælland and Borussia Mönchengladbach, although their campaign ended with a narrow quarter-final defeat by Real Sociedad. Season Ticket+, Gold and Junior Gold Members can claim free entry to selected academy home matches, including International Cup fixtures, while tickets are issued as PDF print-at-home tickets.
