Arsenal U18s are in FA Youth Cup action on Friday night as they play Manchester City away in the fourth round.
As far as challenges go in this competition there probably couldn’t be a harder task, with City having a very strong squad.
City won the Youth Cup in the 2023/24 season and also reached the final of the competition last season before being defeated by Aston Villa.
In addition, they are top of the northern section of the U18 Premier League with Arsenal, in contrast, languishing in tenth place in the southern section.
The likes of Reigan Heskey and Ryan McAidoo are likely to pose a significant threat if they feature and City will be fully aware that Arsenal have often had difficulties defensively at this level.
The young Gunners will have to ensure that they are well organised and defend as a unit, with captain Callan Hamill likely to have a major part to play.
Marli Salmon is eligible to feature for the U18s but his involvement could be dependent on whether he is required to be included in the first-team squad for the game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
If Arsenal are resolute defensively then they have players who are capable of hurting City in an attacking sense, including Ceadach O’Neill and Brando Bailey-Joseph, although Max Dowman remains out injured.
This game is set to be a huge test of Arsenal’s credentials and if they were to prevail then it could give them the belief that they could go all the way in the competition this season.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird