Our under-18s will be looking for their first win of 2026 when we face Southampton at the Staplewood Training Ground on Saturday, January 24.
Adam Birchall's side have lost their opening two matches of the calendar year, going out of the FA Youth Cup to Manchester City after conceding a last-minute winner to Leicester City in our first league game of the year.
### the opposition
The Saints have played only one game so far in 2026, after their FA Youth Cup campaign was brought to an early end by a 2-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers in December.
Like us, Southampton will be searching for their first win of the new year in Sunday's game after losing their opening game of 2026 2-1 to Birmingham City last time out. The result left the Saints four points ahead of us in the league table, with 19 to our 15 after 11 games each in the U18 Premier League South.
Harry Gathercole has been the main danger man for Saturday's opponents this season, scoring eight times in nine league games.
### how to follow
Live updates will be available throughout the match through our academy's [official X account](https://x.com/arsenalacademy), with a match report available shortly after full-time.
Post-match, don't miss exclusive interviews with our head coach Adam Birchall and one of his players, as well as highlights of all the action on [Arsenal.com](https://www.arsenal.com/).
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