Manchester United’s under-18s have reached the Premier League Cup Final, and now know the opponents.
Darren Fletcher’s Manchester United under-18s side are one win away from silverware, after qualifying for the Premier League Cup Final.
The Premier League Cup is a knockout competition that begins with a group stage format at the start of the season. It is a separate competition to the FA Youth Cup.
United beat cup holders West Ham 3-1 after extra-time in the semi-final at Carrington, with goals from JJ Gabriel, Junior Brown and Kai Rooney.
In the Final, Manchester United will face Crystal Palace.
Manchester United U18s celebrate scoring
Photo by Poppy Townson – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images
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JJ Gabriel celebrates, in Man Utd red kit
Photo by Anthony Devlin/Manchester United via Getty Images
Palace will have home advantage
The Final of the Premier League Cup is not played at a neutral venue, similar to the FA Youth Cup. It is hosted by the team on the ‘home’ side of the draw.
Crystal Palace will have home advantage for the fixture, which is expected to be played at Selhurst Park.
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Palace’s under-18s won their semi-final fixture 1-0 away at Tottenham.
A fixture date has not yet been set, although the scheduled date for completion of the competition is Tuesday April 21.
United’s under-18s faced Palace at Selhurst Park in an early FA Youth Cup round in 2022.
The two teams do not normally face each other because under-18s league competition is separated by North and South regions. This does not apply in the knockout rounds of the Premier League Cup.
Samuel Lusale status
The Premier League Cup Final is a standout fixture for young winger Samuel Lusale, who left Crystal Palace’s academy to sign with Manchester United in summer 2024.
Frustratingly, Lusale has been out injured in recent weeks and has not played a game for the under-18s in 2026. His last appearance was in December.
The winger had made a bright start to the season, providing four assists and scoring once in his first five matches.
There is currently no update on whether Lusale could be fit to play in the Final.
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