Terry Westley’s bright young U23’s host some of The Premier League Two’s finest talent tomorrow night, as Liverpool come to town for an exciting top of the Table clash under the lights.
The young Hammers have slumped to successive defeats that have shattered a fantastic start to our first ever Division One campaign. Whereas, The Reds sit in first place and have a 100% League record heading into the encounter.
When?
The tie is scheduled for a kick-off time of 7 PM GMT on Monday evening, with no live TV or Radio Coverage available in The UK.
However, you can head over to @MooreThanAClub on Twitter to keep up with all of the action and reaction from East London, starting at 6 PM.
Where?
Dagenham & Redbridge’s Chigwell Construction Stadium will host the meeting, our U23’s have been using The Stadium, located in Dagenham, Essex, since the start of last season.
Opening in 1916, the small Venue has a capacity of just over 6,000 and a record attendance of around 500 below that number, it is the first time that Neil Critchley’s men have visited The Stadium.
Team News
Terry Westley is expected to field a similar line-up to the one that was bested by Leicester City at The King Power Stadium, as he has no fresh injury concerns.
Meanwhile, the visitors are in the same predicament as Westley’s men and will not need to bring much change to the Side that overcame Manchester City a week ago.
Form
Monday’s clash will be a rare meeting between the Development Squads of West Ham United and Liverpool, but many Hammers will remember our victory on the way to U21 Premier League Cup glory during the 2015/2016 campaign against the Outfit.
The last time that these two Sides were involved in League Competition with each other was back in the season before that.
However, the record of our encounters with The Reds during that particular year will make for grave viewing, as Liverpool ran out 5-0 and 0-4 winners for an emphatic double.
The Opposition
Liverpool’s U23 Side have enjoyed relative success since taking over from The U21 Bracket a few years ago, maintaining their position in The Premier League Two Division One.
The Team play their home games at the Ground of a National League Outfit, much like our Side, in the form of Tranmere Rovers’ Prenton Park.
Their Manager, Neil Critchley, is among the most Qualified Coaches in Europe after he was handpicked by The FA to take UEFA’s First Elite Badge Course making him the most Qualified any Coach or Manager could be in The Game.
In recent seasons, the Side has also been accredited with bringing through a huge wealth of talent.
In more modern times, this has included the likes of Raheem Sterling and Tom Ince, with names such as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher in the past.
So, with all of the action that is due to take place on Monday night previewed, will our Hammer starlets prevail to get their Title bid back on track? Or, will the Red Half of Liverpool prove too strong in East London?