Albion Under-21s are hoping to clinch their first win of 2026 when they travel to the south coast to face Southampton on Monday evening (7pm).
Leigh Downing’s youngsters were defeated in their first Premier League 2 encounter of the calendar year last week - their first in the league almost two months – meaning Monday night’s encounter with fifth-placed Southampton comes with added impetus.
The Baggies have aims of breaking into the top 16 to ensure they can participate in the Premier League International Cup again next season, where they enjoyed new experiences against continental opposition from Spain, Germany, Italy and Denmark.
Last time out
Albion’s starlets were beaten 3-1 by visiting Leicester City at The Fitlife Foods Performance Centre last Monday.
Though the result wasn’t one they’d have hoped for, Eseosa Sule scoring upon his return from a lengthy injury was a significant positive.
Venue
The Silverlake Stadium, home of Eastleigh FC, will play host to Monday night’s encounter with the young Saints.
The ground, which can hold up to 5,192 supporters, is set to host three games in five days – including Albion’s visit at the start of the week.
Pre-match thoughts
Defender Muhamed Diomande was one of three returning absentees in last week’s starting XI against the Foxes.
The Italian-born centre-half signed a two-year deal in the summer of 2024 and featured on the senior bench for the Sky Bet Championship defeat to Bristol City on Boxing Day.
It’s not all been plain sailing for 'Mo', having been sidelined for the last two months with an ankle injury, but with team-mates Alex Williams and Ben Cisse also returning from the treatment room in time to face the Foxes last week – Diomande believes the group is getting stronger at a crucial part of the campaign.
Diomande said: “It feels very good (to be back on the pitch), especially being injured for a while, coming back and then getting injured again. It feels great to be playing freely with the lads again.
“It was difficult watching the lads while I was out. It’s tough when you’re not playing, but now that I’m back, I’m ready to continue the season with them all.
“It was good to see Ben and Alex both back out there. Playing with them after a while was great.
“Especially with Alex, who’s been around the first team a lot, it was a great moment on the pitch with him on Monday against Leicester. You can see the quality he has, playing alongside him gives me more confidence and lets me be free to know there’s someone supporting.
“I haven’t played much with Ben this season, it felt good to have a leader at the back. He’s great controlling us, talking to us – it was unfortunate about the result but we’re looking forward to Monday.
“We dominated the first half (against Leicester) and I felt we could’ve scored more in there. We had a lot of opportunities, we just didn’t quite take them.
“Defensively, there were just a few silly mistakes that cost us goals but, apart from that, it was a good performance.
“We started the season slow, but then we started picking up the pace to get to where we are now. We’ve started to understand each other more as players and know what each other wants in the game, as well as each other’s strengths.
“Monday was a great example of that with us dominating the ball. We’ve progressed a lot with the help of the coaches and the staff encouraging us - we’re doing better with each passing game.
“When I joined, I had Leigh (Downing, now U21s boss) as my coach for the Under-18s. I like him as a coach, he’s direct and supports you all of the time, he’s someone you can talk to.
“We’re going to try and bounce back on Monday. We’re looking to put the Leicester result behind us and look forward to Southampton.”
How to follow
Fans can follow updates on Monday’s game across the club's social media channels.
The full report, reaction and highlights from the match will be available on the website after the game.
