Bromley will be aiming to make the perfect start to their 2025-26 EFL Trophy campaign when they welcome Crystal Palace Under-21s in the competition on Tuesday night.
The hosts will enter the match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Harrogate Town on Saturday, while Palace Under-21s played out a goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion Under-21s in Premier League 2 last time out.
Match preview
Bromley's first-ever season in the Football League saw them finish 11th last term, representing an excellent campaign, and the Ravens will again be looking to avoid a relegation battle in 2025-26.
Andy Woodman's side have made an impressive start to the season, picking up 12 points from their opening six matches, which has left them in third spot in the League Two table.
Only Gillingham (14) and Chesterfield (13) have more points than Bromley this term, and their fans are already dreaming out a possible promotion challenge this season, which would be some story.
The hosts will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Harrogate Town, and their only defeat this season was a penalty-shootout loss to Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup on August 26.
Bromley are joined in Group E by AFC Wimbledon and Stevenage, so it will be interesting to see how they perform against two teams in the division above them.
Palace Under-21s, meanwhile, will know that they are up against it in the competition, but a positive result on Tuesday night would leave them in a confident mood ahead of their second game with AFC Wimbledon on September 16.
Darren Powell's side have taken to the field on two occasions in Premier League 2 this season, recording a 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s on August 22 before drawing 0-0 with West Bromwich Albion Under-21s last time out.
The Eagles have a number of talented players in their youth set-up, and strong performances in the EFL Trophy this season could see them capture the attention of first-team head coach Oliver Glasner.
Palace Under-21s will actually now play back-to-back matches in this competition against Bromley and AFC Wimbledon before resuming their Premier League 2 campaign against Leeds United Under-21s on September 22.
Bromley form (all competitions):
WDWDLW
Crystal Palace Under-21s form (all competitions):
WD
Team News
Michael Cheek in action for Bromley on January 12, 2025
Bromley head coach Woodman will ring the changes from Saturday's game against Harrogate, with a number of squad players and youngsters expected to be given opportunities to impress.
Sam Long should be introduced in goal, while Byron Webster is line for a spot at the back.
There is also likely to be an all-new attack for this match, with Brooklyn Ilunga, Jemiah Umolu and Nicke Kabamba all expected to start, which would see star forward Michael Cheek drop out of the team.
As for Palace Under-21s, Joel Drakes-Thomas, who only turned 16 in June, is expected to feature in a wide area.
Zach Marsh led the line in the team's last match against West Bromwich Albion Under-21s, and that is again expected to be the case on Tuesday, while Asher Agbinone is set to play off the left.
Bromley possible starting lineup:
Long; Webster, Odutayo, Cameron; Ifill, Krauhaus, Thompson, Charles, Ilunga; Umolu, Kabamba
Crystal Palace Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Lee; Grante, Browne, Jemide, Whyte; Reid, Gibbard; Drakes-Thomas, Nascimento, Agbinone; Marsh
SM words green background
We say: Bromley 3-2 Crystal Palace Under-21s
This could be a high-scoring and open match, as both sides have a lot of talent in the final third of the field. However, we are expecting Bromley to come out on top in their first match of the 2025-26 competition.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
ID:580477:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5971:
No Data Analysis info
Previews by email
Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!