West Ham United U21s v Valencia CF U21s
Premier League International Cup, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Tuesday 22 August, 7pm BST
West Ham United U21s will play their first fixture of the Premier League International Cup when Valencia U21s visit east London on Tuesday 22 August.
The Hammers, who ran out 2-0 victors over Sunderland on Friday, will hope to continue the winning momentum into their first match of European competition.
Last season, the Hammers fell to defeats by Jong PSV, Sparta Prague and Monaco and exited the competition at the group stage, although a hat-trick from Divin Mubama secured a win over Jong Feyenoord.
Read on for all you need to know about Friday's fixture:
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.
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 will start their campaign against Valencia on Tuesday 22 August, before facing Celtic on Friday 15 September.
Our U21s will then host Olympique Lyonnais on Tuesday 28 November, with our final match against GNK Dinamo Zagreb still to be confirmed, although the tie must be played by 24 January.
All four group-stage fixtures will be played at Chigwell Construction Stadium, home of Dagenham & Redbridge FC and West Ham United Women.
For a full fixture list click here.
Potts: This is a great test for us
One challenge of playing in the Premier League International Cup will be the quick turnaround between fixtures.
The U21s only have a few days between their fixture against on Tuesday and their next PL2 match away to Leeds United on Friday 25 August.
With travel to accommodate into the schedule too, it promises to be a tricky fixture list to navigate next week for Steve Pott’s outfit.
The experience is an important one, though. According to Potts, who praised the opportunity the U21s will get against the youth teams of a host of top European sides, the Premier League International Cup is a great chance for the U21s to test themselves.
“It’s why the Premier League has organised this tournament,” Potts stated, “it’s a great chance to play against foreign opposition.
“It’s a different type of match for them. We had the pre-season trip to Spain [which included a pre-season match against Elche B] so that gives us an idea of what to expect.
“We found the competition really tough last year. It’s a different style of football and a player to deal with. What we found was that the players who are coming over are a bit older as well. It’s B teams. They are strong opposition but it’s a great test for us!”
Robinson excited for European opposition
Junior Robinson got his first minutes of the 2023/24 season when he introduced in the final part of the Hammers’ 2-0 win over Sunderland on Friday.
A clean sheet and two goals – first Callum Marshall, then Luizão – saw the Irons run out comfortable winners in east London.
As such, there is plenty of momentum heading into their Premier League International Cup opener at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
“It was great and the atmosphere all week has been good,” the flying full-back said. “We wanted to bounce back from the defeat against Arsenal and we did that against Sunderland. Everyone worked really hard to do that.
“We want to win every game. The group stepping up are used to winning, with FA Youth Cup last season, so we want to keep that going!”
“I think everyone is looking forward to playing against the European teams and seeing how they play as well. Last year, we found they were a lot more physical than we are used to…but they’ve travelled a long way so they will want to turn up. Valencia will be a big game.”
Team News
Sean Moore could be set for his first competitive minutes for West Ham, since signing from Cliftonville in July.
The quick and skilful winger scored during the Hammers’ win over Elche B in a pre-season fixture held in Murcia.
Last Time Out
West Ham United U21s cruised to a 2-0 win over Sunderland as Premier League 2 returned to Rush Green training ground on Friday evening.
An emphatic, dominant, performance saw the Irons quickly out of the traps, with Callum Marshall first turning home a Dan Chesters’ cross from inside the area, before Luizão doubled the lead from close range.
From then on, the chances kept coming the way of those in Claret and Blue – and, in truth, most will leave disappointed the Hammers did not grab a third or even a fourth alongside their first win of the season.
Opposition
There is no doubt that Valencia will provide a stern test for our young Hammers.
The Spanish outfit beat four sides in the PL International Cup last season, as wins over Brighton & Hove Albion, Wolves, Leicester City, and Blackburn Rovers came before a knockout defeat on penalties to Crystal Palace.
Former professional footballer Miguel Ángel Angulo Valderrey is the current coach of Valencia CF Mestalla.
Tickets
Adult tickets for the Premier League International Cup fixtures are available for just £5 while concessions can be purchased at just £1.
All tickets will be available through the Dagenham & Redbridge ticket office and can be purchased on the evening of the match.
How to Follow
A live blog will run on the Club's website, with report, highlights, and reaction to follow on whufc.com shortly after the full-time whistle.
