U18s preview: Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal

Our young Gunners face Blackburn Rovers as they begin their U18 Premier League Cup campaign on Tuesday, August 25.

The match will take place at our opponents' academy ground, with kick-off scheduled for 1pm (UK time).

We have been placed in Group B alongside the Lancashire outfit, Birmingham City and Sunderland, with each team bidding to top the table to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

Last season, we finished second in our group behind Peterborough United, who advanced as table-toppers despite suffering a 4-0 defeat to us in north London

THE OPPOSITION

Rovers kicked off their domestic campaign ten days ago with a routine 2-0 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, they suffered an 8-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest over the weekend, conceding seven times before half-time.

Last term, the blue-and-white outfit finished 9th in U18 Premier League North, with nine wins and 33 points from 26 games.

In the cup, Blackburn finished third in their group behind West Bromwich Albion and Fulham, missing out on progression.

We last met in the 2020/21 FA Youth Cup, when goals from Khayon Edwards, Kido Taylor-Hart, Miguel Azeez and Brooke Norton-Cuffy secured a 4-1 victory and booked our place in the last eight.

HOW TO FOLLOW

The action gets underway from 1pm (UK), with live updates available on our Academy X account and a full match report shortly after the final whistle.

Post-match, don't miss exclusive interviews with our young Gunners, alongside highlights of all the key action on The Arsenal app and on Arsenal.com.