Preview | Aston Villa U21s v Swansea City U21s
Swansea City Under-21s travel to the Midlands on Friday evening for their crucial final Premier League Cup group-stage fixture against Aston Villa at Bodymoor Heath (7pm).
The Swans sit second in Group A on nine points with the top two advancing to the knockout stages.
In their previous fixtures, the development side recorded wins over Hull City (home and away) and Brighton (home), but suffered late heartbreak in defeat against Aston Villa and in the reverse fixture against the Seagulls.
It leaves the Swans needing a win to guarantee they will advance, but knowing a loss would leave the door open for Brighton to snatch second place should they beat Hull in their final game, or a draw would leave them facing an anxious wait as a Brighton win with a big goal-difference swing could be enough to see the south-coast club overhaul them.
Villa, meanwhile, booked their place in the last 16 after they completed a comeback to win 3-2 against Hull City last week.
The Swans and Villans last met in the final of the competition during the 2017-18 campaign. That game ended 0-0 with Villa clinching the silverware via a penalty shootout at the then-Liberty Stadium.
Pre-match views
Coach Anthony Wright: "We know what we have to do to go through. Realistically, we need a point depending on how Brighton's game against Hull pans out, but we will definitely be aiming to win.
"We were disappointed to not secure qualification with one game remaining, which means we have to get a result on Friday."
Previous meeting - December 16, 2019
Aston Villa 1 Swansea City 1
Brandon Cooper was on target as Swansea City Under-23s held Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw on their last visit to Bodymoor Heath.
The honours were shared in the Premier League 2 Division Two showdown, in what was the young Swans’ final match of 2019.
The development side had fallen behind to Tyreik Wright’s 33rd-minute strike.
However, they responded before half-time as Cooper headed in from Keiran Evans’ cross.
Villa had scored 11 goals in their previous two games and began on the front foot, with Jacob Ramsey curling an effort just wide of the target.
Michael Tait and Jack Clarke also went close for the hosts, who then had a goal by Indiana Vassilev ruled out for offside.
However, there was no denying Mark Delaney’s side in the 33rd minute as Tait’s deep cross reached Wright, who fired into the top corner.
Nevertheless, the Swans responded well and drew themselves level just before the break, with Cooper heading home Evans’ cross for his second goal of the season.
Both sides went in search of the game’s third goal in the second half. Villa keeper Viljami Sinisalo was forced into a couple of smart saves, while Vassilev’s deflected free-kick went just wide at the other end.
The woodwork was also struck by both sides as they sought a winner in the latter stages of the contest.
But the spoils were eventually shared.
Swansea City U23s: Lewis Webb; Ryan Bevan (Tivonge Rushesha, ht), Cameron Evans, Brandon Cooper, Matthew Blake; Jack Evans (capt), Kees de Boer; Ali Al-Hamadi (Josh Thomas, 83), Simon Paulet, Keiran Evans (Will Rickard, ht); Liam Cullen.
Subs not used: Tyler Evans, Jake Thomas.