NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 18: Arsenal U21 assistant manager Max Porter makes notes as manager Mehmet Ali gives instructions during the Papa John's Trophy match between Northampton Town and Arsenal U21 at Sixfields on October 18, 2022 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)

Arsenal u21s to face Manchester United in Premier League 2 play-offs

Apr 30, 2024

The Arsenal u21s are set to face Manchester United in the last-16 as the Premier League 2 play-offs kick off this weekend.

Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly with Arsenal (Photo via Arsenal.com)

The format of the Premier League 2 was altered this season, with the league expanded and split into a league phase and a play-off phase.

Each of the 26 teams played 20 matches during the season, with the last of the league fixtures held earlier this week.

The top-16 finishers will now head into a knockout competition to determine the overall champions of the Premier League 2 for 2023/24.

The draw for the last-16 is entirely seeded, with first place facing 16th, second facing 15th, and so on.

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As Arsenal finished fifth in the table, they’ll take on 12th, which means a game against Manchester United. With the Gunners finishing higher in the standings, they’ll play at home.

Amario Cozier-Duberry and Mehmet Ali with the Arsenal u21s (Photo via Cozier-Duberry on Instagram)

The format is a single-leg elimination, with any draws settled on the night with extra time and penalties if required.

The last-16 matches will take place between May 3rd and May 6th, with the specific date of Arsenal’s game still to be confirmed.

In terms of notable absentees from the last-16, Manchester City finished 22nd and thus didn’t qualify, and fellow Premier League academies at Newcastle United and Everton also missed out.

PL2 last-16 bracket in full

Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers
Fulham v Nottingham Forest
Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion
Arsenal v Manchester United
Reading v Middlesbrough
Sunderland v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Liverpool v Crystal Palace

Ethan Nwaneri celebrates a goal vs Chelsea u21s (Photo via Arsenal.com)

Assuming the bracket continues to be seeded in the same way all the way to the final, we can determine Arsenal’s potential path to the trophy.

The Gunners would play Chelsea or Brighton & Hove Albion in the quarter-finals, then either Spurs, Aston Villa, Liverpool, or Crystal Palace in the semi-final, followed by one of the eight teams not already mentioned in the final.

Arsenal u21 boss Mehmet Ali’s more immediate problem is figuring out his team against United, and deciding whether star u18 forward Chido Martin Obi should be called up.

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