Get your £3 tickets for special Old Trafford occasion

The club’s Under-19s qualified for Europe’s elite club competition at their age group by winning an unprecedented trio of trophies last season under Adam Lawrence’s tutelage.

Victory in the U18 Premier League national final at Stamford Bridge, against Chelsea in May, secured their Youth League spot after the young Reds had pipped Manchester City to both the U18 Premier League Cup and northern title.

Lawrence’s charges began their Youth League campaign with an exciting tie against FK Zalgiris, triumphing 5-2 in Vilnius in October as they became the first United team to represent the club in Lithuania.

In the return leg at Leigh Sports Village earlier this month, United were dominant 6-0 winners to ensure qualification for the next round.

The winner of United’s upcoming tie with AZ Alkmaar will progress into the full Youth League knockouts, where the ‘domestic champions path’ — in which United compete — and the ‘Champions League path’ meet for the first time.

United first travelled to Alkmaar, playing on Tuesday 27 November (17:00 local time, 16:00 GMT). The game was played at the club’s training ground, located nearer to Amsterdam than the city of Alkmaar itself, with the hosts running out 2-1 winners in a tight and hard-fought context.

The Reds welcome our opponents to Manchester a fortnight later for an exciting Old Trafford occasion, with a 19:00 GMT kick-off on Tuesday 10 December. Academy staff and players would love to see a strong crowd in attendance and will appreciate any support. Tickets are available here, £3 for adults and £1.50 for kids.

UNITED’S UEFA YOUTH LEAGUE FIXTURES

Tuesday 27 November, 16:00 — AZ Alkmaar v UNITED (AZ Training Centre, Wijdewormer)

Tuesday 10 December, 19:00 — UNITED v AZ Alkmaar (Old Trafford, Manchester)

WHAT IS THE UEFA YOUTH LEAGUE FORMAT?

After the qualification stages, the UEFA Youth League is split into two pathways.

The ‘league stage’ mirrors the Champions League ‘league stage’, with the same teams involved and same fixtures, played earlier in the day than the senior matches. However, only six of the eight matchdays take place, with three games at home and three away. The top 22 clubs of the 36-team league qualify for the round of 32.

The ‘domestic champions path’ includes three rounds of two-legged knockout ties. It is made up of the winners of the various youth leagues across the continent, whose senior sides did not qualify for the UEFA Champions League. The competition holders and clubs of the top-ranked associations enter at the second round, including United. Ten clubs remain after the three rounds are played, and they qualify for the round of 32.