Brentford B make the short trip to Motspur Park to face Fulham Under-21s as they aim for a place in the final of the 2022/23 Premier League Cup on Thursday evening in a 7pm kick-off.

The young Bees have impressed in their debut season in this competition after they topped Group D before beating Middlesbrough and Arsenal in the knockout stages to set up a West London derby semi-final.

Olakigbe on facing his old club

B team winger Michael Olakigbe could be in line to turn out against his old club on Thursday night. After spending four years with Fulham as he rose through the ranks, he joined the Bees in the summer of 2022 and is looking forward to an exciting test against his former club.

Discussing the match, the winger said: “It’s a very big game for me and for the team. Hopefully we can win and get through to the next round which would be lovely for me and the team.

“We’re very excited. We need to be ruthless. When we get that opportunity, we have to put it away, that’s for me and all the attackers. It’s our first Premier League Cup (campaign), it will be a big achievement to get to the next round.”

Olakigbe says the side need to be ruthless on the day at Motspur Park

The opposition

Fulham Under-21s compete in Premier League Two Division One and they currently sit fifth in the league table after 24 games. Their record sees them having won 10, drawn six and lost eight in the league over the course of the season and they’re just two points behind Liverpool, who they face at home this Sunday. As well as Premier League 2, the side have also competed in the Premier League International Cup this season and they reached they semi-final stage before exiting the competition following a 2-1 defeat to Jong PSV at Motspur Park. Since then the side have been back in league action where they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at home before they drew 1-1 away at Arsenal on Friday 21 April. In the Premier League Cup, Fulham also topped their group with maximum points which moved them into the round of 16 and they beat Queens Park Rangers 5-0 at home. In the quarter-finals they headed to Stoke City where they claimed a 6-1 win with a hat-trick from Terry Ablade, two goals from Sonny Hilton and one from Olly Sanderson.

In charge of Fulham’s Under-21s in Steve Wigley, who also holds the role of academy technical director at Fulham. Wigley has held different roles at Motspur Park in previous years such as Under-18s head coach, as well as head of academy coaching. As a player he turned out for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Birmingham City and Exeter City and has coached at sides such as Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and Hull City. Last season Wigley guided Fulham to promotion from Premier League 2 Division 2 as they finished top of their league table by 15 points.

Motspur Park sell out

Tickets are now sold out for this fixture and it will not be possible to purchase on the gate.

Match coverage

We will provide updates from the match at Motspur Park with a full report and reaction following the game. Match highlights will also be available afterwards. Our hosts will be providing a live stream of the match which can be viewed here (the link will go live approximately 20 minutes before kick-off). Supporters must be registered with Fulham to watch the match and there is a £5 charge to obtain a pass and watch the game. Registration can be obtained here.

What is the Premier League Cup?

The Premier League Cup is a national competition which features sides at under-21 level. Clubs were placed into groups of four earlier in the season with the top two sides from each group progressing to the round of 16 stage. The Bees topped their group to set up a tie with Middlesbrough who they beat 2-1. Following that, Neil MacFarlane’s side navigated their way past Arsenal in the quarter-finals with an Alex Gilbert penalty late on giving the Bees a 1-0 win. They will now meet Fulham in the semi-finals in what is set to be an exciting clash between the sides.

Last time out in the Premier League Cup

Relive the best of the action from the quarter-finals as the B team beat Arsenal Under-21s.

Who could the Bees meet in the final?

Should the B team progress from the semi-final stage then they will meet Blackburn Rovers in the final after they beat Nottingham Forest in their semi-final at Ewood Park. Brentford B have already met Blackburn twice this season in the competition having been placed in Group D alongside them. Neil MacFarlane’s side beat Rovers 3-2 in their first meeting before the Lancashire side claimed a 2-1 win over the Bees at the Laithwaite Community Stadium in November last year.