Under-21s live stream preview: Robinson eyes big step towards Premier League Cup qualification

At the midway point in this season’s Premier League Cup group stage, Chelsea Under-21s are top of our section with three wins out of three. We are only ahead of second-placed Leeds United on goal difference at the moment, but they have already played their fourth fixture, meaning another victory for the Blues away at Luton Town tonight would send us three-points clear at the top, all but sealing our progress to the knockout stages of this season’s competition.

The match at Kenilworth Road kicks off at 7pm UK time and you can watch it live on the Official Chelsea App, complete with enhanced stats and event tracking from MVX, built with Infinite Athlete.

However, there will be several challenges for Mark Robinson and his team to overcome at Kenilworth Road this evening, starting with hitting the ground running again after a long period without a game. The last time our Under-21s were in competitive action was our previous Premier League Cup tie, a 2-1 win at Leeds a month ago to the day.

‘It’s been challenging, of course,’ said Robinson. ‘We continue to develop the players individually but, at the same time, we’ve got to try to keep them ready and prepped for when the games programme returns. So it’s been challenging in that respect because when you come to a game, you want to be in a rhythm, playing in your style.

‘We had an in-house game last Friday against one of our younger age groups to get some match-work into the players, but only a handful of the players that will feature tonight were involved, because there were players involved in the FA Youth Cup or in first-team training.

‘So it is a case of juggling and trying to prepare the players as best we can when the games programme begins.’

Robinson is also expecting a challenging opponent when we arrive at Kenilworth Road, insisting people shouldn’t read too much into the 4-1 scoreline from our home victory over Luton earlier in this season’s Premier League Cup campaign.

‘I thought they were good that night to be honest. The result looked quite emphatic but I wasn’t sure it was really a 4-1 game. They were good but we were quite clinical on the night.

‘For a long spell in the game, it was tight. So we’re expecting a tough game but one we want to win as it would put is in a fantastic position to qualify.’

And, although there is always one eye on player development in the Academy, that progress to the knockout stages is key for Robinson. With our Under-21s competing across three fronts - the Premier League Cup, Premier League 2 and Premier League International Cup - he knows every win can provide more opportunities for improvement.

‘We’re still in three competitions, and quite a few of the lads are involved in the FA Youth Cup as well,’ he added. ‘We want to stay in every competition as it gives more game time to everyone.

‘Every competition is different, the Premier League International Cup, for example, has seen us play against ‘B’ teams who play men’s football and that has been a challenge for us this season.

‘We want to stay involved in every competition so the boys are getting that varied learning. We want to be strong in every competition.’

The match will be available to watch on the Official Chelsea App, complete with enhanced stats and event tracking from MVX, built by Infinite Athlete. The stream is available globally and is priced at £1.99.