U18s preview Arsenal v Aston Villa Pre-Match Report News

Our young Gunners are eyeing their third consecutive victory as we welcome Aston Villa in our penultimate home game on Saturday, April 20, with kick-off at 12pm.

Currently positioned third in the U18 Premier League South, we trail second-placed West Ham United by a margin of five points, though we have a game in hand.

In our recent clash, we showcased a breathtaking display of attacking prowess, securing a resounding 8-1 away victory against the Hamers. Chido Martin Obi's sensational five-goal spectacle stole the spotlight, complemented by Osman Kamara's brace and a striking contribution from Dan Casey.

A look at Villa

Aston Villa, currently positioned in 10th place, have accumulated 17 points from 18 games thus far. However, they find themselves amidst a challenging run of form, having suffered defeats in eight out of their last nine outings across all competitions.

One standout player for their under-18 side is Rory Wilson, who has impressively netted 16 goals in just 13 league appearances. While he has recently transitioned to under-21s football in the Premier League 2, it remains uncertain whether he will feature in this upcoming clash.

Our last encounter with the Villans, which occurred at the start of the year, proved to be a memorable affair where we were awarded three penalties, two of which were converted by Michal Rosiak to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory for us.

How to follow 

We will be providing updates throughout the game on our academy Twitter page, and there will be a match report published on Arsenal.com after the final whistle.

We will also be sharing post-match interviews with Jack Wilshere and one of his young Gunners, as well as highlights of all the action.