Crystal Palace host FC Nordsjælland on Wednesday evening (26th November, 19:00 GMT) in their final competitive fixture of 2025 – a must-win Premier League International Cup clash at the VBS Community Stadium.
Tickets for the game can be purchased by clicking HERE and will be sent at the point of sale as PDF print-at-home tickets.
Can't attend? This game will also be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Wednesday evening (26th November, 19:00 GMT) - click HERE to learn more about Palace TV+ and subscribe today!
Get the full lowdown on the clash, below!
Crystal Palace Under-21s arrive at this week’s fixture buoyed by a resounding and much-needed first victory of their Premier League International Cup campaign – a 3-1 triumph over Juventus at the VBS Community Stadium.
After the frustrations of the narrow defeat to Valencia, Palace responded in style. Our first-half display against the Italian giants was arguably the sharpest of the season.
Adler Nascimento set the tone after just 11 minutes, guiding a cushioned volley inside the far post from a difficult angle to give the young Eagles an early advantage. Moments later, Seb Williams doubled the lead with a crisp half-volley into the near corner following a flick-on off a long throw.
Palace’s dominance continued to build, and Benji Casey was rewarded for an energetic performance by netting his first goal for the U21s – a composed close-range strike that capped an outstanding opening 45 minutes.
Juventus rallied after the interval, enjoying more possession and eventually pulling one back, but the young Eagles defensive resilience ensured there would be no late swing in momentum. George King produced the standout moment of the half with a superb goal-line clearance, preserving the two-goal cushion and helping Palace see out a well-earned and confidence-boosting win.
That result lifts Palace to fifth in Group B on three points, level with both West Brom and Juventus but ahead on goal difference – and, crucially, with at least one game in hand.
Valencia (fourth, six points) and Fulham (second, six points) both sit above Palace in Group B, but with the young Eagles holding a game in hand on each of them, their fate in this tightly contested group very much remains in their own hands.
With Premier League 2 now wrapped up for the year following a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Stoke City at Copers Cope – a result that leaves Palace 12th on 14 points – Wednesday’s meeting with FC Nordsjælland becomes the final competitive outing of 2025.
It offers an opportunity not only to finish the year on a high, but to build real momentum heading into the second half of the campaign.
FC Nordsjælland arrive in South London on Wednesday as one of the most exciting and respected youth-development clubs in Europe – and as genuine contenders in this season’s Premier League International Cup.
Based in Farum, just outside Copenhagen, the Danish side compete in the Danish Superliga and have grown into a modern powerhouse of player development, thanks in large part to the renowned Right to Dream Academy, which took ownership of the club in 2016.
Their senior team have enjoyed significant success over the past two decades, lifting back-to-back Danish Cups in 2010 and 2011, before winning the Superliga title in 11/12 and earning a place in the UEFA Champions League the following season. More recently, they finished runners-up in the 22/23 campaign, reaffirming their status as one of Denmark’s leading clubs.
That elite pathway has produced a stream of talent now flourishing across Europe. Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford), Andreas Schjelderup (Benfica), Conrad Harder (Sporting CP) and Lucas Høgsberg (RC Strasbourg) are among the most prominent alumni.
The academy’s global reputation was further enhanced by the rise of Mohammed Kudus – the Right to Dream graduate who starred for Nordsjælland before moves to Ajax, West Ham United and, in 2025, Tottenham.
That pedigree has translated seamlessly into the Premier League International Cup. Last season, Nordsjælland became the first Danish club invited to the competition and made an immediate impression.
The club defeated Manchester United, Norwich City and Liverpool en route to the quarter-finals, where they were narrowly edged out by eventual champions Nottingham Forest. Their return to the 25/26 edition has been equally eye-catching.
Beginning their campaign earlier than Palace, they opened in late September with a commanding 3–0 victory at West Brom.
The young Danes asserted control from the outset – Hjalte Boe Rasmussen and Daniel Ingi Johannesson struck within the first 21 minutes, before captain Justin Janssen sealed the win from the penalty spot late on.
They followed that with another disciplined performance away at Fulham, where a moment of quality from Levy Nene secured a tight 1–0 success on a wet evening at Motspur Park.
Those results place Nordsjælland top of Group B with six points – level with Fulham but with a game in hand – and underline the scale of the test awaiting Palace’s U21s. With a prestigious academy, a clear playing identity and a track record of competing with Europe’s best, the Wild Tigers will arrive at Sutton full of confidence.
Despite this being only Palace’s third of four group games, the shape of Group B makes the meeting with Nordsjælland feel like a must-win.
With the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarter-finals, four sides – Nordsjælland, Fulham, Borussia Monchengladbach, and Valencia – have already raced to six points, forming an early breakaway pack that Palace must keep pace with to stay in the qualification hunt.
With games in hand on Fulham and Valencia, the young Eagles still control their path – but only if they take advantage now. A win would drag them back into the mix and set up a decisive final fixture against Mönchengladbach; anything less risks the leaders stretching out of reach and turning that last match into a chase rather than a chance.
FC Norjaelland expected starting XI: Lykke, Gustafsen, Tuka, Walker, Seidu, Jóhannesson, Heyde, Janssen, Dalsgaard, Berthelsen, Néné.
Although the Wild Tigers do not operate a traditional U21 side, their squad for the Premier League International Cup follows the competition’s rules – teams are classed as U21s, built around players born in 2004 or later.
As a result, Nordsjælland are expected to field a mixed group drawn primarily from their U19 squad, supplemented by selected Superliga players to meet the age criteria. They also have dispensation to include up to three players older than the 2003 age group, giving them flexibility to add experience where needed.
Of the sides to have featured so far, Nordsjælland are the only team other than PSG yet to concede in this season’s Premier League International Cup. They arrive with back-to-back clean sheets – a tight 1–0 win over Fulham and a commanding 3–0 victory against West Brom – giving them one of the competition’s stingiest defensive records.
Their four goals scored are equally respectable, painting the picture of a balanced outfit. With two wins from two, Nordsjælland come into this clash riding a wave of momentum and will see this as a chance to further cement their place among the early front-runners.
Having joined Nordsjaelland at eight, Justin Janssen enjoyed a rapid rise through the youth ranks.
Summer 2024 saw the midfielder break into the first team where he debuted against Silkeborg IF in the Danish Superliga.
By November, Janssen had been permanently promoted to the first team squad and he has since made an impressive 27 appearances in the Danish top flight.
Fresh from signing a new contract, the 19-year-old has earned four consecutive starts for FCN in recent weeks and netted a brace in Sunday’s (23rd November) 5-0 victory over FC Fredericia.
Alongside Janssen, Levy Nene is another FCN talisman. The centre-forward has four goals in 10 matches so far in 25/26. It was Nene’s individual brilliance that ensured FCN edged Fulham at Motspur Park. Twenty-five yards out, the striker curled a shot into the top corner beyond the Cottagers ‘keeper.
Appointed in June 2025, FC Nordsjælland’s head coach Mathias Thomsen may only be 31, but he’s already carved out a reputation as one of the club’s brightest young coaching talents.
Thomsen previously served as assistant coach for Nordsjælland’s U19s before spending last season with the Right to Dream International Academy Team – working with some of the most gifted 16–18-year-olds across the organisation’s four academies.
Now back in Farum and taking charge of Nordsjælland’s oldest academy side, Thomsen returns to familiar surroundings with fresh experience, a clear philosophy, and the backing of a club renowned for its commitment to youth development.
Tickets for the game at Sutton are available to purchase by clicking here.
This game will also be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Wednesday evening (26th November, 19:00 GMT) - click HERE to learn more about Palace TV+ and subscribe today!
Can’t watch live? Stay up to date with live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page and look out for the full match report on our Academy news section shortly after the final whistle.
Crystal Palace U21s v FC Nordsjælland U21s
Tickets can also be purchased by clicking here and will be issued at the point of sale as PDF print-at-home tickets.
