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.