Crystal Palace Under-21s will take on Newport County at Rodney Parade on Tuesday, 3 November, knowing that victory would secure a place in the EFL Trophy knockout stages for the first time in the Academy’s history. Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00 GMT.
Darren Powell’s side currently sit third in Group E with three points. Plymouth Argyle lead the section on five points, while Newport are second on four. Swindon Town are bottom without a point and cannot qualify.
Palace began the competition with a 2-1 win over Swindon, with Caleb Kporha and Seb Williams on target. That was followed by a 5-1 defeat away to Plymouth, leaving the Young Eagles needing a result in south Wales to keep their qualification hopes alive.
The equation is straightforward: three points would take Palace to six and guarantee a top-two finish. A draw would send the match to a penalty shootout, with the winners receiving an extra point. Defeat in that shootout would eliminate Palace, as four points would not be enough to finish above both Newport and Plymouth.
A shootout victory would take Palace to five points and leave a narrow route through. Newport would remain ahead because the draw would not alter the goal-difference gap, meaning Palace would need Swindon to defeat Plymouth by at least seven goals to have a chance of overtaking the Pilgrims. That outcome is highly unlikely, making a win at Newport the clear route to Academy history.
