Preview | U21s look to extend winning streak at Liverpool

Liverpool U21s v West Ham United U21s
Premier League 2, AXA Training Centre, Sunday 9 March 2025, 12.30pm GMT 

West Ham United U21s will be aiming to extend their winning streak to eight straight matches in Premier League 2 when we visit Liverpool on Sunday.

It is a run that started in January, with seven wins and five shutouts recorded since a 1-0 victory at home against Sunderland.

If the result goes West Ham's way, we can leapfrog Fulham into second, who start the weekend on 38 points, two ahead of the young Hammers with four games to play.

Eleventh-placed Liverpool, on the other hand, sit just one point ahead of Newcastle United, who occupy the final play-off spot in 16th.

An enticing encounter awaits on Merseyside, then, with Mark Robson’s side looking to continue building momentum as the season approaches the business end.

How To Follow...

West Ham United's development fixture against Liverpool will not be live streamed. However, fans can stay up to date with the action through a live blog on the Club’s website and app, while a match report and reaction will follow shortly after the full-time whistle. Highlights will be available on Monday.

Premier League 2 Explained…

To minimise the impact of relegation on future groups of U21 players, the Premier League introduced a new format to its development phase competition in 2023/24.

Replacing the two-division system, the 26 Category One academies now compete in a single tier with 20 regular season fixtures before the top 16 seeded teams advance to single-elimination play-offs.

Regular season fixtures are determined by a draw made according to clubs’ performances over the last three seasons. Each team plays 20 different opponents before the play-offs in May, where they will be drawn against each other based on league positions, with the higher-seeded team playing at home. The top 12 are also rewarded with a place in the following season’s Premier League International Cup competition.

Opposition...  

It’s been a mixed season so far for Barry Lewtas’ side, who began 2024/25 with five wins from their opening six games in Premier League 2.

However, as well as finishing bottom in their Premier League International Cup group featuring FC Nordsjælland, Fulham, Hertha Berlin, Sparta Prague, Norwich City, Jong PSV and Manchester United, they embarked on a six-game losing league run that was ended against Stoke City on 21 February, before they were beaten 1-0 by Middlesbrough last time out.

Just one point separates Liverpool from Newcastle United, who are the current occupants of the 16th and last play-off spot, so with the Premier League 2 campaign hotting up, the young Reds will be yearning for a return to winning ways as we approach the tail-end of the season.

Ones To Watch...

Josh Briggs has excelled since stepping up to the U21s, and he capped off last month by being nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award.

It comes after a colossal February at the back for Robson’s side, in which we played four and won four, conceding a single goal. 

A centre-back by trade, Briggs played the full 90 minutes at right-back in each fixture against Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Reading and Derby County as the young Hammers enjoyed a perfect month.

Spearheading the West Ham attack is Josh Ajala, who has been instrumental with six goals in 14 league games this season. Notably, Ajala scored twice for the U18s against Derby County on Wednesday as Lauris Coggin's side booked their spot in the Club's first-ever U18 Premier League Cup final.

Also vital to the midweek victory was Ezra Mayers, who has already amassed 28 appearances for the U21s and U18s this season, while he was named in a senior matchday squad for the first time against Arsenal in November, marking a significant milestone in his burgeoning career.

For Liverpool, Ranel Young, who can play on the flanks or as a central striker, has enjoyed a successful season having stepped up to Lewtas’ U21s squad, scoring four times in Premier League 2 so far.

Young also started all three UEFA Youth League fixtures for the U19s in 2024/25 and netted the opening goal in a 2-1 win over Bologna in October, while he was named on the bench by Arne Slot for Liverpool's Carabao Cup tie at Brighton & Hove Albion in October and Emirates FA Cup visit to Plymouth Argyle in February.

Elsewhere, Isaac Mabaya made his senior bow in the aforementioned FA Cup tie at Home Park against Plymouth, having already been included in Slot’s UEFA Champions League squad at PSV Eindhoven in January. 

The 20-year-old has made eight appearances in PL2 this season, including playing the full 90 minutes in last weekend’s home defeat to Middlesbrough.

How Things Stand In Premier League 2...

With four regular season games left, West Ham United U21s are all but assured a spot in the post-season as one of the first 16 teams. Aiming for a top seeding, the young Hammers are six points clear of Southampton in fourth, having played a game fewer.