Manchester City U21s v West Ham United U21s
Premier League 2, Joie Stadium, Saturday 30 September, 1pm BST
West Ham United U21s continue their 2023/24 Premier League 2 campaign when they visit Manchester City on Saturday evening.
A busy day that also sees the first team face Sheffield United at London Stadium at 3pm and the U18s host Norwich City at Little Heath training ground at 12noon, gives the U21s the chance to move into the top three.
The young Hammers recorded six wins on the bounce, before a draw with Southampton last time out, and will need to be at their best to return to winning ways in the North West.
Read on for our preview below:
Potts feels that Manchester City is a great marker for U21s
A trip to defending champions Manchester City will be a huge but important test for the U21s, according to lead coach Steve Potts.
Manchester City topped Premier League 2 Division 1 last season, losing just three games throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
The Hammers have found a decent run of form in recent weeks, though, and were disappointed to secure just a point against Southampton last time out.
“It will be a different game to what we have experienced over the last weeks,” Potts stated. “Throughout the age-groups - and their first team, of course, as well - they really try to keep the ball and do that well.
“They move the ball around really well and it will be a different challenge to what we faced against Southampton, whose main threat was the counter-attack.
“It will be a different type of game but that’s the point of this games programme and it is about us adapting to the different challenges that are thrown our way.”
Casey ready to battle defending champions
There is no question that Kaelan Casey is ready for the battle on Saturday afternoon.
And Casey, who first trained with the Club at the age of six, expects a tough opponent on Saturday but remains confident in his teammates to get a positive result in Manchester.
“The momentum has been positive over the last few weeks,” he stated, “and it has been a good feeling from the players and the manager. Everyone is working really hard in training as well.
“But City is always a tough game because they are so good in possession that you don’t get much of the ball when you play them.”
Over the past few weeks, Casey has taken the armband, with Michael Forbes working his way back from injury.
The young Hammer is relishing the leadership role and has been a consistent performer on the pitch too.
Showings at the development level saw the young Hammer feature on the bench against Lincoln City on Wednesday evening and also rewarded with a new contract ahead of the 2023/24 season.
His focus remains on showing his qualities at the Premier League 2 level, though – and there is no better place to do that than against the defending champions.
“Captaining the side has been a very good experience for me and it has helped me over the past few weeks growing my leadership," he added. “So, I want to thank Steve for putting his trust in me to do this role.
“All the boys look to you to try and get the team going and hopefully, I can keep doing that and keep our run going!”
Last Time Out
Once again Callum Marshall was amongst the goals, although his brace was only enough for a point as West Ham United U21s battled to a 3-3 draw against Southampton on Friday evening.
Seven games unbeaten now for the U21s, but, with chances missed either side of the break, a case of what could have been against the Saints.
Opposition
Defending champions Manchester City will pose a difficult test for the Hammers, having only lost three games last season and defeated the Irons 5-0 in this fixture in 2022/23.
This campaign the Citizens have started slowly by their standards, however, as an opening-day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur has been followed by losses to Fulham and Chelsea.
They sit on four points, after a win over Newcastle and a draw against Aston Villa, in their first five league games.
Tickets
Tickets are price at £3 for adults and £1 for concessions.
For more details and to purchase tickets ahead of the game click here.
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.
