Brentford B face Aston Villa Under-21s on Friday 13 January in what will be their final group game in the Premier League Cup.

Having already confirmed qualification to the knockout rounds of the competition with a 2-0 win over Peterborough United before Christmas, the Bees now have a chance to finish the group strongly against a Villa side who are unable to qualify for the next round as they sit on four points in the group.

Setting the scene

Brentford B are currently top of Group D with 12 points from five matches. Behind them sit Blackburn Rovers on nine points and they will also take their place in the knockout rounds as they have accumulated nine points. Technically, Blackburn can overtake the Bees in top spot if they win and Brentford lose and there would also need to be a significant change in goal difference. In third place are Peterborough with Villa bottom of the group on four points as they have won one, drawn one and lost three. Assuming the Bees finish top, they will have a home tie against Middlesborough in the knockout stages.

Last time out

Brentford B were in action on Tuesday when they faced Erith & Belvedere in the Second Round of the London Senior Cup. They came from behind twice to win the match 3-2 with a late goal from Michael Olakigbe following earlier strikes from Lucias Vine and Kyreece Lisbie.

Neil MacFarlane’s thoughts

Brentford B head coach Neil MacFarlane is excited ahead of another test for the young Bees and he wants his team to maintain the high standards set earlier in the competition.

He explained: “Our level of performance in the Premier League Cup in the five games that we’ve played so far have been outstanding. It’s led us to the top of the group and to qualification and we want to finish strongly against Aston Villa. We know it’s going to be a really tough game but hopefully it can takes us into the knockout stages with confidence.”

The opposition

Aston Villa Under-21s are unable to qualify for the knockout stages but they’ve been on a good run of form having beaten Newcastle United in Premier League 2 on 9 January. Josh Feeney grabbed the opener on 33 minutes before Declan Frith added another shortly after the break. Just prior to Christmas Aston Villa played against Blackburn in the Premier League Cup and they claimed a 4-0 win at Bodymoor Heath. The goals on the day came from Tommi O’Reilly, Declan Frith, Lamare Bogarde and Omari Kellyman.

Ticket details

Tickets are available to purchase online. Tickets will also be available on the night at the Laithwaite Community Stadium. Admission is £5, with Under 12s just £1. Food and drink will be available in the Fan Zone.

This match isn't segregated. Neutral and Aston Villa supporters can purchase tickets for general admission, despite the category listed 'home fans' online.

How can I watch?

The only place to watch Friday evening’s match will be at the Laithwaite Community Stadium so head down and support the young Bees! There will not be a live stream of the match.