The young Eagles have progressed to the knockout stage of the U18 Premier League cup for the first time, after emerging victorious in a chaotic nine-goal thriller against Fulham.

Palace came into the game knowing that only a win would suffice to take them through as group winners, and George King’s 94th minute winner proved to be decisive.

Villa are familiar opposition for the young Eagles, having met in the league on multiple occasions throughout the years. In their most recent encounter, 10-man Palace managed to overcome the nine men of Villa 3-2.

The U18 Premier League Cup is composed of seven groups of four teams from Category 1 and 2 Academies across the country, all facing off against each other in one-off fixtures in a traditional group stage format.

Palace got off to a strong start in Group H, registering a remarkable 6-1 victory over Liverpool, though they did succumb to a defeat at the hands of Newcastle United in their second game of the campaign. The win against Fulham saw Rob Quinn’s side progress as group winners on goal difference, as the Cottagers were also on six points.

Find out more about the competition and a more in depth look at Palace’s run so far by clicking here.

The quarter-final clash against Aston Villa is due to take place on Saturday, 3rd February at 11:00 GMT. It will be decided on the day, so if the score is level after 90 minutes there will be extra-time and then penalties. You can watch every minute of the action LIVE on Palace TV+ – click here for