STEVE COOPER has urged his Liverpool youngsters to rise to the occasion in tonight’s FA Youth Cup fifth round tie with Leeds United at Anfield (7pm kick-off).
It will be the first time many of Cooper’s side have graced the stadium and the coach is hoping they take the opportunity to show to a wider audience what they’re capable of and book their place in the quarter-finals.
“It’s a great game for the boys to have,” Cooper said. “We’ve got a lot of local players in the team and they deserve the chance to play on the big stage at Anfield.
“It will be the first Academy fixture played there for quite a while. We didn’t have a home tie in the FA Youth Cup last season and with this season’s NextGen games being played at St Helens many of our second years haven’t played a competitive match at Anfield.
“It will be great experience for them and we’ll be able to see how they adapt to being in the spotlight. If they are going to progress at this football club then they have to play in pressure situations where they are under a lot of scrutiny.
“If they can step up and stay composed and keep the performance at the required level then hopefully we’ll get through.”
Liverpool cruised into the last 16 having followed up their 5-0 thrashing of Swindon with a 4-0 win over Histon.
However, Cooper knows that Leeds will present a much more difficult proposition tonight. The Yorkshire outfit’s progress in the competition has been equally as impressive having knocked out Watford (4-0) and Burton Albion (6-1).
“We’re expecting a really tough game,” Cooper added.
“Leeds are top of their league and have had two convincing wins in the Youth Cup. They are a very well organised side and we’ll need to be at our best to win the tie.
“But we’ve got a lot of competition for places at the moment and we will have a strong side out there.”
Fans can pay on the Kop turnstiles for tonight’s game. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £1 for concessions.
