U18s preview: Arsenal v West Ham United

Adam Birchall’s young Gunners welcome West Ham United to Sobha Realty Training Centre on Saturday, January 25. The match will be our tenth in the under-18s Premier League this season, with kick-off scheduled for 11am (UK time).

Our Gunners currently sit ninth in the table with ten points from nine games, but victory over the Hammers would see us leapfrog our London rivals into eighth.

In our most recent outing, we came out on top in a thrilling FA Youth Cup tie against Queen’s Park Rangers. Andre Harriman-Annous and Max Dowman scored for us in the 90 minutes, before Louis Zecevic-John looked to have won the game in extra time.

But after Emmerson Sutton completed a hat-trick in the dying moments of extra time to make it 3-3, our Gunners prevailed on penalties, with Jack Porter saving two of the visitor’s spot kicks.

The Opposition

West Ham have had a similar season to us so far, taking 13 points from their first 10 matches. The Hammers have won three league games, drawing four and losing the other three.

Having been knocked out of the FA Youth Cup by Grimsby Town in December, the Hammers had last weekend off. Instead, their most recent game saw them beaten 5-0 at home by Crystal Palace.

Our last meeting with the east Londoners came on the opening day of the under-18s Premier League season, where a double from Ceadach O’Neill and a fine strike from Andre Harriman-Annous fired us to a 3-2 win.

Elisha Sowunmi, who scored a penalty that day, has turned into something of a talisman for his side, netting 10 times in 11 appearances for the under-18s this season.

How to Follow

Stay up to date with live commentary on our academy’s X page. A full match report will be available on Arsenal.com shortly after the final whistle.

Post-match, don’t miss exclusive interviews with Adam Birchall and one of our young Gunners, alongside highlights of all the key action.