Under-21s, ready for the quarter-finals

Sunderland AFC Under-21s are set to take on West Ham in the Premier League 2 play-off quarter-finals.

The game will be played on Monday, May 13, at Eppleton CW (7:00 p.m.).

Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here. 2023-24 season ticket holders can also log into their account to claim their free entry.

Opposition

West Ham finished the regular season in second place with 13 wins, three draws and four defeats from 20.

The Hammers are through to the quarter-finals after a 4-1 win over Blackburn. Goals from Sean Moore, George Earthy and Callum Marshall sealed the contest.

It was Marshall who finished the campaign as the league’s second leading scorer with 16 in 12.

The team is managed by former West Ham midfielder Mark Robson. The 54-year-old has over 200 senior career appearances for Tottenham Hotspur, Rosenburg and Charlton Athletic.

Robson began his coaching career in 2000 with Charlton and went on to become Barnet Manager, working alongside Edgar Davids. After leaving The Hive, Mark held assistant coaching roles with both England U17s and U20s.

Premier League 2

Tottenham Hotspur finished top of the Premier League 2 table after the end of the regular season, four points clear of second-placed West Ham United.

This is the first campaign of the new PL2 format, where all teams have been condensed into one division, with no promotion or relegation, and the title is decided by play-off matches rather than league position.

How the new play-off format works…

Each club is ranked according to their final position. As Tottenham Hotspur went top, their reward was a last-16 tie against the last-placed team left in the competition – 16th-placed Aston Villa.

Similarly, second-placed West Ham United faced 15th-placed Blackburn Rovers and third-placed Fulham faced 14th-placed Nottingham Forest.

Pairings continue in this format throughout the team, with the higher-placed team having home advantage in one-legged matches.

The road to the final…

Quarter-finals (May 10-13)

Match 9: Arsenal vs Chelsea

Match 10: Reading vs Nottingham Forest

Match 11: Tottenham vs Liverpool

Match 12: Sunderland vs West Ham

Semifinals (May 17-20)

Match 13: Winner 9 vs Winner 10

Match 14: Winner 11 v Winner 12

Final (May 24-27)

Winner 13 v Winner 14

Covering

Unfortunately, there will be no live stream of the match due to Premier League broadcasting regulations. Live updates can be found on the official X page – @AcademyofLight