Arsenal U18s discovered this week that Manchester United will be their opponents in the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup.
A date for the intriguing clash has yet to be arranged but it is due to take place before March 8th and is likely to be held at Emirates Stadium.
The key talking point in the build-up to the fixture will inevitably be Chido Obi Martin’s return to face his former club.
The prolific striker elected to leave Arsenal last summer and joined United, for whom he has mainly featured at U18 level so far this campaign.
Obi Martin scored a hat-trick as United dispatched of Chelsea with a 5-1 victory this week and he would surely relish the opportunity to do likewise against his old club.
Arsenal, though, have plenty of quality themselves, with the likes of Louis Zecevic John, Andre Harriman-Annous and Ceadach O’Neill posing a significant threat to the opposition.
Goalkeeper Jack Porter, who has already made his first-team debut, is also very talented, while it will be interesting to see how Arsenal’s defence deals with the considerable threat of Obi Martin.
It is also hoped that Max Dowman, who played a key part in the previous two rounds, will feature for Arsenal as the 15-year-old looks to gain further valuable experience.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird