Crawley Town vs Aston Villa Under 21's preview: Lineups, Prediction, team news
Crawley Town will kick off their Vertu Trophy campaign tomorrow evening when they take on Aston Villa Under 21s at the Broadfield Stadium.
After finishing bottom of their group last season, Scott Lindsey is determined for his side to improve this time around, though tough tests await against Leyton Orient, Peterborough and Aston Villa Under 21s.
Photo by Kyle Hemsley/Crawley Town FC
Match preview
Crawley Town have started to find their rhythm in League Two, securing back-to-back wins that have lifted them up to 18th in the table.
After falling short in the first round of the Carabao Cup against Swansea, the Reds now turn their attention to two remaining cup competitions, the FA Cup and the Vertu Trophy.
In his only other full season in charge, Scott Lindsey guided Crawley to the round of 16 in the 2023/24 Vertu Trophy where they were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Peterborough.
Speaking to club media ahead of the tie, the former MK Dons boss expressed his excitement and outlined his hope that Crawley can put together a strong cup run.
The Reds kick off their group stage campaign at home against Aston Villa's under 21s on Tuesday night, before travelling to Leyton Orient on October 7.
Crawley will then round off the group phase back in West Sussex when they host Peterborough on November 11.
"I'm really excited for Tuesday night, actually. I'm really looking forward to it," Lindsey said.
"We're desperate to do well in it this year. We haven't got a B team, or a reserve team, or an academy, but we do have 20 professional footballers. So, it's important that we win these games.
"We want to get through the early stages of the cup and keep progressing because I want these players playing football. I think it's important for their development. I look forward to these games."
Villa have endured a mixed start to their Premier League Two campaign, recording one win and two defeats.
On the opening day they lost 3-0 to Leeds United but bounced back with a 3-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion. In their most recent outing they fell 2-1 to Chelsea, leaving them 22nd in the table after three matches.
One player to watch is 17-year-old Alfie Lynskey, recently promoted from Villa's under 18s. The youngster already has a goal to his name at under 21 level and could pose problems for Crawley's defence.
Last season Villa advanced from their Vertu Trophy group which included Barrow, Fleetwood Town and Bolton Wanderers but their run ended in the round of 16 with a 3-1 defeat to Bradford City.
The sides have met twice before in this competition. Their most recent encounter came in the 2023/24 campaign when Crawley edged a 3-2 win at Broadfield Stadium thanks to a brace from Jack Roles.
The only other meeting was in 2022 when the Reds put five past the young Villans in a 5-2 victory.
Aston Villa U21's take on Crawley Town at the Broadfield Stadium in 2023. Photo by Aston Villa
Team News.
Lindsey has already hinted that he will make a handful of changes from the side that beat Cheltenham 2-0 in the week.
We can expect Jack Roles, Scott Malone, Louis Flower, Max Anderson and Gavan Holohan, who all started on the bench at the weekend, to be handed starts.
Antony Papadopoulos, Fate Kotey and Tola Showunmi, who have yet to feature heavily this season, could also be given the opportunity to impress.
Crawley are expected to keep their backline largely unchanged due to limited defensive options, with Joy Mukena set to replace Dion Conroy as the only likely adjustment.
As for Aston Villa, it is expected they will field a similar lineup to the side that were defeated 2-1 by Chelsea before the international break.
Jimmy Shan may also look to include several under-18 players alongside Lynskey in his squad, with this competition providing the perfect platform for young talents to showcase themselves on a bigger stage.
Crawley predicted lineup:
Davies; Mukena, Barker, Flint; Anderson, Holohan, Papadopolous; Malone, Kotey, Dixon; Flower
Aston Villa Under 21's predicted lineup:
Hollingshead, Burgess, Carroll, Routh, Fortes; Kone, Borland; Pavey, Lynskey, Brannigan; Mulley
We Say: Crawley Town 4-1 Aston Villa U21's
Crawley's fringe players will put in a strong performance leaving Lindsey with a team selection headache going into the weekend.
In spells Villa will have their moments but Crawley will be too good for the youngsters and come away with a comfortable win.