Opposition…
One of the top Academies in England, defending champions Manchester City have won Premier League 2 a record four times.
Averaging over three goals per game in the league phase, they went on to defeat Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Southampton in the play-offs en route to their latest title.
With the U21s adopting the same playing system and style as the first team, plenty of players have been able to make the leap from the development squad to the first team. From the side that beat our U21s last October, during their ten-game winning streak in Premier League 2, Nico O’Reilly, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Jacob Wright all featured in the Manchester City first team during the 2024/25 campaign.
With a handful of their title-winning players promoted or out on loan, a refreshed U21s group is now tasked with defending their crown. Their new-look squad opened their account with a 3-1 defeat away to Chelsea thanks to a Sumatra Mheuka hat-trick.
Ones To Watch…
Still an U18s scholar, Airidas Golambeckis joined a select group of players, including Declan Rice, to have captained the development squad before turning 18.
An elegant ball-playing centre-back that is also very strong in the tackle, Golambeckis spent the summer with the first-team squad gaining experience during their pre-season trips to Austria and the United States.
Breaking into the U21s squad on a full time basis at the turn of the calendar year, he was also a key member of the U18s squad that lifted the Premier League Cup in April.
This season, he has captained the U21s in their first two fixtures, marshalling a defence which has only let in one goal in their opening 120 minutes of competitive football.