James Dunne contests a header against Norwich in the corresponding fixture last season.
Picture from: foncy.co.uk
MATCH BACKGROUND
The u-18s return to action as they face Norwich after a week’s break. They will be looking to bounce back from the 2-1 defeat suffered at the hands of Crystal Palace a fortnight ago. One concern for Steve Bould is the fact that his side keep on taking the lead but don’t know how to defend it. Too many points have been squandered from winning situations and it’s time for things to change.
THE TABLE
| P | W | D | L | For | Agt | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | West Ham United U18 | 23 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 52 | 34 | +18 | 42 |
| 2 | Southampton U18 | 23 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 39 | 43 | -4 | 40 |
| 3 | Fulham U18 | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 30 | 22 | +8 | 38 |
| 4 | Portsmouth U18 | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 32 | -1 | 37 |
| 5 | Arsenal U18 | 19 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 58 | 29 | +29 | 36 |
| 6 | Crystal Palace U18 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 46 | 36 | +10 | 31 |
| 7 | Chelsea U18 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 28 |
| 8 | Ipswich Town U18 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 31 | 35 | -4 | 28 |
| 9 | Charlton Athletic U18 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 37 | 42 | -5 | 26 |
| 10 | Norwich City U18 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 32 | 43 | -11 | 19 |
| 11 | Millwall U18 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 24 | 49 | -25 | 13 |
The title is still in Arsenal’s hands but they need to start winning games again. Although they do have some games in hand.
| Results 23.02.08 | Fixtures 01.03.08 |
| Fulham 2 Chelsea 1 | Charlton Athletic v Fulham |
| Crystal Palace 0 West Ham United 2 | Chelsea v Millwall |
| Ipswich Town 3 Southampton 0 | Norwich City v Arsenal (11.00am) |
| Millwall 6 Charlton Athletic 0 | Southampton v Crystal Palace |
| Portsmouth 2 Norwich City 1 | West Ham United v Ipswich Town |
Table courtesy of foncy.co.uk
TEAM NEWS
Henri Lansbury (glandular fever) and Anton Blackwood are definitely out, whilst there are also doubts over Sanchez Watt and Gilles Sunu (lack of fitness). Ahmed Abdulla is also unlikely to be in contention after stalling on contract talks. Kyle Bartley is suspended, whilst Rhys Murphy could return up front.
Predicted team:
————–Szczesny—————-–
Rodgers–Cruise—Nordtveit—-Steer–
Eastmond—Frimpong–Wilshere—Thomas--
–Barazite———Fonte
subs: Shea, Freeman, Murphy, Ayling, Rasmussen
THE OPPONENTS
Norwich currently lie in tenth position but that is somewhat misleading. They have a very strong team spirit and have a habit of upsetting the bigger teams.
Here are three Norwich players to watch:
Luke Daley A pacy striker, Luke has been amongst the goals this season and will cause problems for the inexperienced Arsenal defence.
Tom Miller Now in his second season as a full-time scholar, Tom is a midfielder who played 20 times for the u-18s last season and is another regular name on the scoresheet for the Canaries.
Danny Kelly Danny is a young defender who is a threat from set-pieces.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Arsenal drew 2-2 with the Canaries in December. Jonas Rasmussen made his debut and the Arsenal goals came from Jack Wilshere and Sanchez Watt. In the corresponding fixture last season, Arsenal scraped a 1-0 win thanks to a Sanchez Watt strike.
U-16s
Arsenal’s under-16s will also travel to Norwich’s Colney training ground to play the Canaries. As mentioned, Ahmed Abdulla is unlikely to start. Nico Yennaris has a back injury which will rule him out for a couple of weeks at least. George Brisnal is set to continue at left-back, with Charlie Mann to start in goal.
