Manchester United will compete in the FA Youth Cup final tonight against Nottingham Forest.
The game will be held at Old Trafford, giving United a huge home advantage. United have had four of the five ties at Old Trafford to reach the final, the one exception an away game against Reading.
Nottingham Forest will be no pushovers, having beaten Chelsea in the semi-finals. They are managed by former Manchester United reserves coach Warren Joyce.
The final will be attended by more than 63,000 fans, a record for the competition, BBC Sport report. Ticket sales from the game are going to the Manchester United Foundation, to support underprivileged kids in Greater Manchester.
Manchester United’s run to the final
- Manchester United 4-2 Scunthorpe (Mather, Garnacho, Oyedele, McNeill)
- Reading 1-3 Manchester United (Mainoo, Mather, McNeill)
- Manchester United 4-1 Everton (McNeill, Mainoo, Mather, Garnacho)
- Manchester United 2-1 Leicester (Garnacho x 2)
- Manchester United 3-0 Wolves (McNeill x 2, Garnacho)
- Manchester United 2-1 Nottingham Forest (Bennett, Garnacho x 2)
United’s semi-final was in early March, with Charlie McNeill and Alejandro Garnacho taking their goals in the competition to five each, while Sam Mather has three.
Garnacho has stood out as the star, scoring the most spectacular goals of the competition, including an acrobatic volley against Scunthorpe and a 90-yard counter-attacking run against Everton.
The 17-year-old has since stepped up to make his first team debut, and this will likely be the last game he plays at this level, even though he would be eligible for next year’s competition.
Predicted XI
Manchester United’s starting XI is quite easy to predict although there are three wildcard selections who could come into play.
United started the same XI in the quarter-final against Leicester and semi-final against Wolves, and having earned their spots, under-18s coach Travis Binnion will likely stick with the same side.
This line-up would be: Vitek, Jurado, Bennett (c), Fredricson, Murray, Gore, Mainoo, Hansen-Aaroen, Mather, Garnacho, McNeill.
However, attacking stars Omari Forson, Joe Hugill, and Ethan Ennis have all been in excellent form for the under-18s in recent weeks and have each made a strong case for inclusion. At the least, they will be on the bench.
You also need to know…
- United are looking to win the competition for the first time since 2011. This team included Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, and Sam Johnstone.
- Also going on at the same time, Erik ten Hag’s Ajax face Heerenveen. Three points will seal the future Manchester United manager his third Eredivisie title.
- There will be an immediate chance for revenge for the losing side. United host Forest this Saturday at Carrington in the final under-18s league game of the season.
How to watch the FA Youth Cup final
You can watch the FA Youth Cup final for free if you are in the UK. The match is being streamed live on the FA Player.
Manchester United are also showing the game on MUTV, which will need subscription. Coverage starts at 7pm for the 7.30pm kick-off.