Crystal Palace Under-18s will host Aston Villa in their final Group C fixture of the U18 Premier League Cup on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 12:00 GMT. Victory is essential if the Young Eagles are to remain in contention for the trophy they won last season.
Palace began the group stage with defeat against Nottingham Forest, but responded against Leeds United as Donte Martin’s hat-trick secured a 3-0 win. That result moved them back into contention ahead of the decisive meeting with Villa.
Aston Villa currently sit top of Group C with four points, while Palace are second on three. The Eagles are level with Forest but hold the advantage on goal difference, with Palace at plus two compared with Forest’s minus five. Leeds are bottom on one point.
A win would take Palace to six points and put them in a strong position to finish first and reach the last eight. Villa would remain on four points, while Forest would need to beat Leeds by at least eight goals more than Palace’s winning margin to overturn the gap in goal difference.
The permutations are less favourable if Palace draw. The Eagles would move to four points, but Villa would finish on five and qualify as group winners if Forest fail to beat Leeds. Should Forest win, they would finish above Palace and eliminate the Young Eagles. Defeat would end Palace’s hopes and confirm Villa as Group C winners.
The quarter-finals are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, 2 February, with further details to be confirmed by the Academy. Saturday’s match will be streamed live on Palace TV+, while supporters can also follow updates and commentary through the Academy’s X account, with highlights and extended reaction available afterwards.
