Our under-19s start their UEFA Youth League campaign on Tuesday, September 16 against Athletic Club in Spain. The match will take place at Athletic Club's Lezama training complex, with kick-off scheduled for 11am (UK time).
The Youth League sees all 36 clubs who have qualified for the men's Champions League enter youth sides to play in the league phase. There is also a knockout path for domestic youth champions, which merges with the Champions League path in the new year.
Our initial involvement in the competition will consist of six matches played on the same dates and against the same opponents our men's team are taking on in the first six games of their Champions League campaign.
In last season's Youth League, we were eliminated in the league phase despite victories over Shakhtar Donetsk and Monaco.
### The Opposition
Athletic Club under-19s only began their season this weekend, taking on Logrones away from home.
This will be the Spanish side's first Youth League campaign since the 2014/15 season, when they were eliminated in the group stages by Porto and eventual runners-up Shakhtar Donetsk.
While Tuesday's games will mark the first competitive meeting in the UEFA Youth League, there is some history between both academies.
In December 2012, we face the club in the group stages of the NextGen series, a tournament aimed at showcasing future stars.
After a 0-0 draw at the old San Mamés Stadium, we then defeated Athletic Club 4-2 at Underhill. Goals from Sead Hajrovic, Zak Ansah, Jon Toral and Isaac Hayden gave us all three points in a match which included our current goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Athletic Club net.
### How to follow
Stay up to date with live commentary on our [academy’s X page](https://x.com/ArsenalAcademy). A full match report will be available on [Arsenal.com](https://www.arsenal.com/news?field_article_arsenal_team_value=academy) shortly after the final whistle.
Post-match interviews with our head coach and one of our young Gunners, along with match highlights, will also be available.
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