City v Manchester United: PL2 semi-final match preview
Everything you need to know ahead of City's Premier League 2 play-off semi-final against Manchester United.
WHEN AND WHERE
Ben Wilkinson's Elite Development Squad will welcome the Red Devils to the Joie Stadium for a 19.00 kick-off on Friday, May 9.
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This game will be shown live on CITY+.
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City confirmed our place in the final four after a dramatic 3-2 extra-time triumph over Arsenal last weekend. And our opponents advanced to the semi-final after completing a 4-1 comeback win over West Ham United.
The usual knockout rules will still apply where if a winner cannot be decided in 90 minutes, the game will go to extra-time. If the additional 30 minutes still can't separate the two sides, the game will go to a penalty shootout.
Both teams will be looking to battle it out with a place in the final on the line and, in turn, extend the 2024/25 campaign by one final week. The winner of our semi-final will face Crystal Palace or Southampton in the final.
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Regular updates of the match will be available on X: @ManCityAcademy once the get begins. A detailed match report and post-match reaction will be available on mancity.com and the Official Man City App after the final whistle.
PREVIOUS MEETING
The two sides met in a regular PL2 league clash at Carrington back in September, 2024 with City taking the derby bragging rights thanks to a 3-1 victory.
Goals from Farid Alfa-Ruprecht, Jaden Heskey and Will Dickson were enough to counter Ethan Wheatley's United strike and so seal all three points.
LAST TIME OUT
The City youngsters secured our place in the last four thanks to a dramatic 3-2 quarter-final win over Arsenal after extra time.
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In what was a pulsating encounter at the Joie Stadium, the young Gunners had raced into a 2-0 lead before Ashton Muir narrowed the deficit early in the second half.
Lakyle Samuel then headed home deep into injury time to level affairs and sent the play-off into extra time.
There, for the second week in a row, Divin Mubama struck to secure victory for Ben Wilkinson's side.
United meanwhile sealed their place in the semi-finals with a 4-1 home win over West Ham on Bank Holiday Monday.
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