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Manchester City will face Manchester United in the final of the FA Youth Cup this evening as the two city rivals compete for the biggest prize in English youth football.
City, who have won the competition twice since 2020, head into the match having won the U18s Premier League North, finishing four points above their rivals.
Meanwhile Utd, managed by Darren Fletcher, came second in the league but are looking to win their 12th Youth Cup in what is the first Manchester derby final since 1986, when City ran out 3-1 winners across two legs.
Here’s everything you need to know.
When is the FA Youth Cup final?
Manchester City vs Manchester United is scheduled to kick off at 7pm BST on Thursday, 14 May at the Joie Stadium in Manchester.
How can I watch it?
The match will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 6.30pm. Subscribers can also watch via the discovery+ app, while BBC Sport will have a live stream of the game on both BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
Players to watch
A Youth Cup final is always a hotbed for emerging talent, and plenty will watch in the hope of seeing some of England’s best youth players. In 2022, when Man Utd last won the tournament, those on the pitch included Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho; when City won in 2020, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, Tino Livramento and Levi Colwill all featured in the final.
This year, City finished top of the U18 Premier League North, four points above Man Utd, and some of the best players around this age group could take to the field at the Joie Stadium.
City forward Teddie Lamb finished as top scorer in the U18s Premier League this term (Getty)
For the hosts, 16-year-old striker Teddie Lamb was the top scorer in the U18s Premier League with 25 goals in his debut season. Winger Ryan McAidoo has already made two senior appearances for the Cityzens, while Reigan Heskey – son of former England striker Emile – has also impressed this season for City.
For Utd, 15-year-old JJ Gabriel will be the headline talent on show, with the youngster having already been called up to first-team training in the past despite being too young to feature in the Premier League. There are high hopes for 17-year-old forward Noah Ajayi, while Amir Ibragimov – who has recently received a call-up to the senior Russia squad – could feature for the visitors alongside Godwill Kukonki and Chido Obi, both of whom have been part of the senior squad previously.
Predicted line-ups
Man City XI: Hudson; Headley, Drake, Braithwaite, Tevenan, Miles, McAidoo, Samba, Lamb, Samba, Heskey.
Man Utd XI: Byrne-Hughes; Helafu, Mills, Armer, Kukonki; McCormack, Thwaites; Brown, Gabriel, Ajayi; Obi.