West Ham United Under-18s will get their new FA Premier Academy League season off and running with a trip to Merseyside to face Everton on Saturday.
Tony Carr's youngsters should be in prime condition for the game after finishing fourth in a tough pre-season competition in the Netherlands last weekend.
Although Everton are not in the same Academy group as the Hammers, the two sides will meet as one of the regular inter-group fixtures held every season. Carr is expecting a difficult test but is up for it against the Toffees.
"It's a tough call," Carr said. "The beginning and the end of every season you play teams from outside of your region when the weather is nice and you can travel.
"It will be tough but at least we will be on a level playing field and we can start the season with a point or three."
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