Arsenal U21s vs. Aston Villa U21s: Date, Time and Viewing Info

Arsenal's youngsters welcome Aston Villa's under-21 team to the Arsenal Training Centre in their Friday lunchtime encounter, in the U21 Premier League Division 2.

Arsene Wenger's young guns find themselves five points off the promotion places, and with just one win in their last five, per Flashscore.com, they have much work to do in the coming weeks.

Here are the details for the match and how you can follow the action:

Date: Friday, March 16

Time: 1 p.m. (GMT) / 9 a.m. (ET)

View: Updates on Arsenal.com and AVFC.co.uk

Match Preview

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

As the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City battle it out in the top tier, Arsenal's under-21s languish in Division 2 below Middlesbrough and Derby County.

Aston Villa are some seven points behind their hosts on Friday, but the Midlands club are certainly the side with the best form, with three victories in their last five games, per Soccerway.com.

The Villains defeated near rivals West Brom on Monday, winning the game 3-0 at Bodymoor Heath.

The team—coached by Villa legend Gordon Cowans—saw goals from Graham Burke, Jack Grealish and substitute Joshua Webb seal the points.

And with Tim Sherwood breathing new life into the first team, Villa have seen improvements in their reserve setup as the competition for places heats up. 

Chris Brunskill/Getty Images

Grealish has been a key player in Villa's reserve team and the 19-year-old could soon see himself as a regular fixture in Sherwood's seniors. 

And the manager believes the attacking midfielder could become a full international, possibly choosing England over Ireland, per Gregg Evans of the Birmingham Mail:

"I think he might play for England but he’s got to play for Villa first. I thought he did well when he came off the bench [for the first team] He comes on with no fear and just wants to play."

The Gunners have found positive results incredibly hard to come by this term, winning seven of their 14 Division 2 games, per Flashscore.

They recently failed against high-flying Derby, losing 1-0, and could not beat Blackburn Rovers on their travels, completing a goalless draw.

Cowans will feel his Villa team are in the ascendancy, and that Arsenal are there to be beaten, as current form stands.

Grealish will be the key component of any Villa success, and Arsenal will need to be at their defensive best to steal the points.