Stevenage and Fulham U-21 Prepare for EFL Trophy Clash
Stevenage hosts Fulham Under-21s on Tuesday evening in an EFL Trophy fixture with contrasting group stage fortunes.
Stevenage and Fulham Under-21s are set to square off on Tuesday night in the EFL Trophy, with both teams already aware of their respective fates in the competition. The match brings together a Stevenage side sitting comfortably at the top of Southern Group B and a young Fulham squad that has already been eliminated following back-to-back defeats.
Manager Alex Revell's Stevenage outfit enters the fixture having secured two successive wins in the group stage, guaranteeing their progress to the knockout rounds. In contrast, the young Cottagers occupy the fourth position with zero points after suffering consecutive losses in the tournament.
Domestically, Stevenage currently sits in 16th position in the League One table following a mixed campaign. However, Revell's squad recently gained significant momentum with a 2-2 draw away at Leicester City and an impressive 1-0 triumph over Oxford United in the first round of the FA Cup, courtesy of a fourth-minute goal by Carl Piergianni.
In previous EFL Trophy action, Stevenage thrashed Walsall 6-1 and narrowly defeated Leicester. Overall, the home side boasts five wins and one draw from their last eight matches across all competitions, which also includes a notable 3-0 victory against Plymouth Argyle.
On the other side, Fulham Under-21s have endured a challenging run in the EFL Trophy, conceding nine goals across defeats to Leicester and Walsall. The Foxes secured a commanding 6-1 victory at the King Power Stadium against the young Cottagers, followed by a tight 3-2 win for the Saddlers.
Furthermore, Fulham's struggles against senior opposition continued on November 3 when they suffered a loss to Worthing in the National League Cup. Nevertheless, manager Charlie Daniels's side enters this upcoming fixture with some positive momentum after a 4-1 win over Stoke City in their most recent Premier League 2 outing, keeping them in fourth place in that standings table.
Looking toward team selection, Revell is expected to rotate his squad as much as regulations allow to rest senior players. Figures such as Daniel Barden, Alfie Thornett, Terry Taylor, Matt Smith, Chem Campbell, and Michael Mellon are all candidates to be drafted into the Stevenage starting lineup, alongside potential integration of youth players.
For Fulham, attacker Terrell Works is expected to feature again following a strong performance and two goals in his recent 58-minute appearance against Stoke. The young Cottagers will look to capitalize on potential rotation from the hosts, even as they attempt to tighten a defense that has leaked goals in recent tournament fixtures.