5 players to look out for as Arsenal and Chelsea kids meet at Emirates

Arsenal and Chelsea's under-21 sides meet on Tuesday night with the chance to not only progress to the last-eight of the EFL Trophy, but also to impress on a big stage.

The meeting between the last two remaining Premier League development sides is being staged at the Emirates Stadium.

Despite the attendance being capped, a healthy crowd is still expected to watch the stars of tomorrow.

The furthest a Premier League academy side has ever got in this competition is the semi-finals, achieved by Chelsea in 2018.

Kevin Betsy's young Gunners will fancy their chances against their London rivals, having romped to a 6-1 victory when the sides met in Premier League 2 back in September.

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The winners of tonight's tie will travel to League One side Wigan Athletic in the quater-finals. That tie is scheduled to take place the week commencing January 24.

Here, we look at five players who could be given the chance to shine on the Emirates pitch tonight.

Mika Biereth (Arsenal)

The 18-year-old has been in fine form in his first season with the Gunners' development squad.

He joined from Fulham last summer after a profitable campaign with the Cottagers. He scored 21 goals in as many games last season, as they won the under-18 Premier League South.

He's coped well with the step-up at Arsenal and last Friday he scored the opener in a 1-1 draw at Brighton in Premier League 2 - his seventh goal of the season.

Then, on the Sunday, he was in a senior matchday squad for the first time as an unused sub in the FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest.

After that experience he will be hoping to lead the line tonight as he plots for cup progression.

Omari Giraud-Hutchinson (Arsenal)

The England under-19 international has started two of Arsenal's four games in the EFL Trophy this season.

And he's impressed, scoring against Newport and providing an assist for Folarin Balogun in the last round at Ipswich.

Like Biereth, Giraud-Hutchinson was involved against Nottingham Forest, as part of a Gunners' senior squad for the first time.

He first burst onto the scene as a 12-year-old with Arsenal, and his glitzy array of skills ensured he went viral on a compilation clip online.

Speaking about that breakthrough, he said: "It was a mad experience. Everyone at my school wanted my signature and my Instagram was blowing up!"

He's pushed on nicely since then and another big chance should arrive this evening.

Lewis Hall (Chelsea)

Those tuning in to Chelsea's thumping FA Cup win over Chesterfield last weekend can't help but have been impressed by Hall's performance.

Hall actually made history by becoming the club's youngest player to start an FA Cup game, aged 17 years and 122 days.

He looked accomplished on the left side of a back three, albeit against fifth tier opponents, and chipped in with an assist for Romelu Lukaku.

The teen said afterwards: "We had a meeting during the day when (Tuchel) announced the team and I was really nervous straight away.

"I saw my name on the team sheet and I was shaking. It took a few hours to process it.

"As soon as I stepped onto the pitch with the fans behind me, it gave me motivation and confidence to do what I can do."

He could well be back in action tonight, again looking to impress at a Premier League ground.

Charlie Patino (Arsenal)

Midfielder Patino has had quite a few months.

He's been labelled as the latest poster boy for Arsenal's academy and there was plenty of talk and hype before he had even kicked a ball for the senior side.

His maiden outing didn't disappoint though, as he came off the bench to score in the EFL Cup win over Sunderland in December.

After all the excitement over his first outing, he was brought back down to earth a little after his second taste of senior football.

He made his full debut last Sunday in the Gunners' FA Cup loss at Nottingham Forest and it proved a much tougher experience for Patino, who lasted 68 minutes.

Nevertheless, it will have been invaluable in the long-term. He could well be back in action quickly here, although it depends on whether Mikel Arteta is considering using him in Thursday's EFL Cup semi-final at Liverpool.

Xavier Simons (Chelsea)

The 18-year-old is another who has recently made his Blues' senior debut.

The midfielder started against Brentford in the EFL Cup and was on the bench for last weekend's FA Cup tie with Chesterfield.

Simons, who has started the last three games in this competition, is a tough-tackling midfielder whose roles this season for the development squad have included right-back and right wing-back.

He joined from Brentford in 2016.