Chelsea U21s vs. Liverpool U21s: Date, Time, Viewing Info and Prediction

The brightest talents in the revered academies of Chelsea and Liverpool will clash in a vital encounter in the U21 Premier League on Thursday.

Both of these teams are in with a chance of winning the title, but have some ground to make up, with the Reds in second spot and the Blues in fourth. Liverpool can go top of the pile with a win in this fixture however, while Chelsea can go to within one point of league leaders Manchester United if they win their two games in hand.

With matches running out, a win is imperative here for both teams’ title challenges. Here’s a look at where you can catch the action and a closer examination of how both teams are faring on the cusp of this one.

Date: Thursday, May 7

Time: 7:05 p.m (BST) / 2.05pm (ET)

This game is not on live, but highlights of the game can be watched on LFCTV.

#	Team	MP	W	D	L	F	A	D	P
1	Manchester Uni…	20	10	7	3	34	20	+14	37
2	Liverpool U21	20	11	2	7	38	27	+11	35
3	Sunderland U21	21	9	5	7	25	24	+1	32
4	Chelsea U21	18	9	4	5	33	20	+13	31
5	Norwich City U21	20	8	6	6	28	26	+2	30
6	Leicester City U21	20	8	5	7	36	34	+2	29
7	Manchester Cit…	18	8	3	7	37	33	+4	27
8	Tottenham Hots…	20	7	5	8	27	27	+0	26
9	Southampton U21	19	7	4	8	28	30	-2	25
10	Fulham U21	21	6	4	11	27	43	-16	22
11	Everton U21	20	6	3	11	27	35	-8	21
12	West Ham Unite…	19	4	2	13	17	38	-21	14

Reds Looking to Continue Title Charge

Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images

Liverpool have given themselves an excellent chance of finishing top with a late surge to the line. Michael Beale’s young side have won their last three games in succession to keep pace with rivals United and a win over Leicester City last time out temporarily pushed them to the summit.

As we can see here courtesy of BT Sport, Cameron Brannagan’s winning goal in that match was a sublime strike:

To come from behind against a decent Foxes side was a clear sign that this team is capable of going very close in their charge for the league. But there are few more formidable challenges in this division than a trip to face Chelsea’s best academy prospects.

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

The Blues squad is bristling with top-quality stars, including Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Dominic Solanke and Kasey Palmer. It’s a clutch of players that seems to have gotten plenty very excited at Stamford Bridge, including the club’s owner Roman Abramovich, it would seem, per Mr.BlueGuy:

Joe Edwards’ side have games in hand on a lot of teams in the upper echelons of the division after their run in the FA Youth Cup. As such, the pressure really is on them to get a victory in this match, as they seek to secure a coveted league and cup double to match that achieved by the senior side.

This young group also has a penchant for scoring spectacular goals, as Palmer illustrated with this absolute stunner against Southampton recently, per 101 Great Goals:

For Liverpool, although they’re in fine form, this represents a tough challenge. The Blues have only been beaten once in the league on home soil all season and after they secured their fourth FA Youth Cup triumph in six years, they’ve played with a real swagger.

Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images

The Reds won’t be daunted, though. With the likes of Brannagan, Jerome Sinclair and Sheyi Ojo all set to feature, there are goals aplenty in this Liverpool team.

Both sides will be desperate for victory and the result should be an attacking affair. However, buoyed by their recent silverware and with home advantage, expect the Chelsea youngsters to edge a thrilling game, keeping their slender title chances alive.

Prediction: Chelsea U21 3-2 Liverpool U21