West Ham United U21s v Celtic
Premier League International Cup, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Friday 15 September, 7pm BST
West Ham United U21s will continue their Premier League International Cup campaign when Celtic U21s visit East London on Friday night.
The young Hammers will hope to follow up their tournament opener win against Valencia with another victory – and in doing so extend their winning run to five matches in all competitions.
Read our full preview below:
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 started their campaign win a 1-0 win over Valencia on Tuesday 22 August.
After 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.
Prenderville ready for another great challenge for our U21s
U21s assistant coach Gerard Prenderville expects another tough test in our second Premier League International Cup outing.
Following a victory over Celtic in the Irons’ first match of the tournament, Prenderville is confident the Hammers can continue their early season form.
“The last game against Valencia was a great test and a brilliant game for the boys' development,” he added. “You are stepping outside your comfort zone by playing against Celtic, a side that has produced plenty of players for the first team and has the first team in the Champions League too…it’s a great opportunity for us.
“It was a great win the nature that we won in the last game. It could have gone either way, but Gideon got the winner for us. It is always nice to start any competition with a win but to follow that up against Celtic with another win will be a tough test.”
Prenderville admitted that the standard of the Premier League International Cup will only push this group of players further.
In short, to play at the top, you have got to compete against the best. The chance to compete against European youth teams is a fantastic opportunity for the U21s then, according to Prenderville.
“These are the games you learn about the players the most because the higher the level the fewer mistakes you can make,” he added. “I thought the boys stuck to the game plan that night superbly and going into the Celtic game concentrating has to be through the roof again.
“I think Celtic are a good football side. They will be really well structured in defence so it will be a good test for us.”
Kodua believes the development team have the quality to attack cup competitions
The hero of the Irons’ opening win of the 2023/24 Premier League International Cup, Gideon Kodua, is adamant the U21s can have a real go in the competition this term.
Part of a hatful of FA Youth Cup winners stepping up to the U21 level, Kodua’s calmness and poise saw the win over Valencia confirmed with a neat swish of his right foot – and his is confident he and his teammates have the quality to progress into the latter stages.
“Valencia was a good win,” he explained. “This competition is really tough, but we held it together to get the win [last month].
“It is not only me [who can get the goal], but lots of players also have the quality to do that. I love playing alongside George and Cal. The way we link up, there is just goals between us.”
“A lot of us weren’t playing at this level last year, so it is a different team – and I think we have the quality and the belief we have in the squad, we should go far.
Last Time Out
West Ham United U21s produced a resolute performance in their opening match of the Premier League International Cup, as they beat Valencia CF 1-0 at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
In an incredibly even contest on Tuesday evening, it looked as though the match was going to be heading to a stalemate.
Gideon Kodua had other ideas though and fired the ball into the bottom corner late on to win the tie.
Opposition
Celtic U21s picked up four points from their four matches in the Premier League International Cup last season – and will, no doubt, be another difficult test for Steve Potts’ men.
Celtic beat Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s 4-2 and picked up a point in a 2-2 draw against Leicester City last year, although defeats to Fulham and Blackburn saw the Scottish outfit, like West Ham, exit the 2022/23 edition at the group stage.
Coached by Darren O’Dea, Celtic will seek to record a win in east London in their first Premier League International Cup fixture of the season.
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.
Tickets can also be brought in advance of the fixture 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.
