West Ham United U21s v Olympique Lyonnais U21s
Premier League International Cup, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Tuesday 28 November, 7pm
West Ham United U21s will continue their Premier League International Cup campaign when Olympique Lyonnais visit east London on Tuesday.
The young Hammers will hope to follow up wins against Valencia and Celtic with another victory – having scored six goals and conceded zero in the tournament so far.
Steve Potts’ men are currently on a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
What is the Premier League International Cup?
The Premier League International Cup features 12 of England's best Academy sides against 12 of the top development squads in the rest of Europe.
Twelve teams from Premier League 2 and 12 teams from European Academies are split into three groups of eight.
Each PL2 club will play each of the four international clubs in their group meaning the PL2 teams do not face each other, and neither do the international teams play one another in the group stage.
The top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams advance to the quarter-finals, where the ties are decided in one-off matches, with extra time and then penalties required if the match is level after 90 minutes.
You can read more about the tournament here.
Who are West Ham United playing?
West Ham United U21s will face teams from Spain, Scotland, France and Croatia in the 2023/24 Premier League International Cup group stage.
The Hammers started their campaign win a 1-0 win over Valencia on Tuesday 22 August and then beat Celtic 5-0 on Friday 15 September.
Our U21s will then host Olympique Lyonnais on Tuesday 28 November, with our final match against GNK Dinamo Zagreb to be moved to Friday 19 January 2024 from its previous date of Wednesday 6 December due to our involvement in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy last 32.
How do things stands?
West Ham United U21s are currently top of Group A, with two games played.
Lyon, Tuesday opponents, are in second, having also taken six points from their first two games.
Kelly focused on Lyon task
Midfielder Patrick Kelly has challenged his teammates to keep the positive momentum ahead of a busy week.
The U21s will play two games in four days as they face Lyon on Tuesday, before a match against Nottingham Forest on Friday.
A current 12-game unbeaten run means there is plenty of positivity for the young Hammers, right now – but what’s the secret behind the success?
“A lot of us are stepping up from the FA Youth Cup winning team last season,” Kelly stated. “I think that’s good because we have a really strong bond, and we won a lot of games, and we’ve brought that into this season.
“Me, Lewis, and the defenders are really happy with those clean sheets too across the last four games. We are scoring a lot, but the defence needs to do well also, so I I think it is important we are getting clean sheets as well.
Kelly has been a crucial part of that run, having started each of the Hammers’ last 13 games – and hopes to continue the form on Tuesday night.
“I am happy having started every game since pre-season,” he added. “When I came back from the off-season I was fit, I had done a lot of work.
“I think that has allowed me to play a lot, I think my fitness levels. And staying injury-free has meant I could play every game.”
Prenderville: We want to continue positive performances in this competition
For Gerard Prenderville, it is a case of more the same over the next few weeks.
The U21s assistant coach has been impressed with his side’s performances recently, with the young Hammers recording four wins on the bounce ahead of the November international break.
A tricky week approaches though, with the task to stretch an unbeaten run to 13 games next time out against Lyon.
“We’ve learnt a lot about this group of players in the cup games so far but there is still more to come,” Prenderville explained.
“I think these games are where you learn about individuals the most because the higher the level the fewer mistakes you can make. But so far, against Valencia and Celtic, the boys have really stood up to that test. They’ve got two really impressive wins, two clean sheets as well, but now it is about how can we continue that.
“The challenge is to go again, knowing Lyon will be another good side, another good test to overcome. They’ll have a different way of playing from maybe what we are used to and because of that, it’s another great match-up for this group to face and work out how to get past.
“Every day, you can see there is plenty of confidence in the group, though. There’s a real belief we can keep going toe-to-toe with some of Europe’s best young sides and that will be the aim again on Tuesday night."
Opposition
Lyon have won both of their fixtures in the Premier League International Cup so far this season, so will present another good test for the U21s.
The French outfit have shown their quality against Premier League academies so far, having beaten Chelsea and Southampton and scored seven goals in their first two matches.
Across those fixtures, Lyon have also conceded four goals, however. They average 5.5 goals in their Premier League International Cup, so expect entertainment on Tuesday night.
Last Time Out
West Ham United U21s put on a comprehensive attacking display to comfortably beat Celtic B 5-0 in their last Premier League International Cup fixture.
Divin Mubama and Callum Marshall scored braces, while Lewis Orford was also on the scoresheet in their second win of the competition.
Tickets
Tickets are available to buy from the turnstiles on Friday evening. U18s are priced at £1, while Adults tickets cost £5.
West Ham United men’s season ticket holders can attend the fixture for free – and just need to show proof of season ticket at turnstiles.
How to Follow
We will have a live blog on the Club’s website, with report, reaction, and highlights to follow shortly after the full-time whistle.
