Manchester City Under-21s are set to kick off their season with a Vertu Trophy tie against Mansfield Town at the One Call Stadium tonight.
The match marks the first game of the campaign for City's Under-21s, now led by Oli Reiss following the departure of Ben Wilkinson to Derby County. Reiss, who oversaw a successful campaign for the Under-18s last season including FA Youth Cup glory, has stepped up to the Elite Development Squad (EDS) role.
Group Stage and Kick-off Details
City are placed in Group D of the Northern Section alongside Mansfield, Chesterfield and Port Vale. The top two sides from the group will progress to the knockout phase of the competition.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7pm BST. Mansfield, who kicked off their League One season with a win over the weekend, will host the young Blues.
Reiss on His New Role
Speaking ahead of the match, Reiss expressed his gratitude and excitement. "First of all I have to say I'm very thankful for having this opportunity and being the coach of the EDS," he said. "I'm very thankful for the trust the academy and the club gives me. And I'm excited as well."
He added: "It's a different role, it's together with a lot more different challenges being part of this group in terms of competitions and the age of the players. So I'm very excited. The pre-season is nearly done and I'm looking forward to having our first set of games."
Academy Changes and New Offerings
This season, a new weekly offering on all things Manchester City Academy is being provided, delivering a mix of news, views and interviews charting the progress of the Blues Under-21s and Under-18s. Both teams have new coaches in charge, with Reiss stepping up to the EDS side and his former assistant, Lauris Coggin, taking over as Under-18 chief for a new league campaign beginning this weekend.
