Brentford Under-21s midfielder Riley Owen says the young Bees want to "play much better" as they prepare for a league clash against Cardiff City Under-21s on Tuesday afternoon (2pm kick-off).

Neil MacFarlane’s side are on a five-game winning run in the Professional Development League, and the young Bluebirds are one of the three teams to have beaten the young Bees in the league this season.

"I think everyone in the squad knows we did not play that well in the game against Cardiff last time and we want to do better and play much better than we did," said Owen.

“The mood around the team is so positive and it is the best environment to play your best football."

Brentford have been playing with great confidence and there have already been a number of players who have trained with the first team, as well as featuring on the bench in first-team games.

Owen says that the end goal for all the players is just to continue playing to the best of their ability and if they get the call up to the first team or they are given a loan in mens football they are ready to tackle the new challenge.

“I think as a team, we are doing really well. The coaching team have given us praise but do not want us to get overconfident. We need to remain humble.

“Seeing some of the boys around the first team for me only highlights the incredible work we are doing as a team and for me personally, I want to continue putting myself in a position where I am showing my best football.

“I have said so many times how I have a great relationship with the boys and the chemistry that we have off the pitch I think is showing itself so much when we play on the pitch."

Cardiff City sit three points behind the young Bees who are the current league leaders but the Bluebirds will be confident having played a game less and having beaten Brentford already this season.

“We know it will be a tough game against a side that defend well and counter-attack really fast. We will be ready for this test and I think the game will show how far we have come as a team.” he said.

“We know we are capable of winning and we prepare well for each game, this one is no exception.”

Last time out

Brentford kicked off the new year with a league win last time out, beating Charlton Athletic 3-2.

After going down 1-0 early in the game, the young Bees found an equaliser through Tony Yogane late in the first half.

Ethan Brierley's brace helped secure the three points for Brentford, continuing their winning streak into the new year.

About Cardiff City U21s

Cardiff City come into Tuesday's clash third in the PDL south group table with nine wins, two draws and three losses.

The young Bluebirds currently sit three points behind league leader's Brentford, but have a game in hand.

Cardiff started their new year with a 5-1 league loss to Ipswich Town away from home, however had won five of their last six league games prior to that.

Match coverage

The club will have updates of the match against Cardiff City on social media, as well as a match report on the official website and our official app.

The game will also be live streamed and a link will be provided closer to kick-off on the Academy social media Twitter page.