Albion Under-21s will face Valencia in their final Premier League International Cup group match on Wednesday night (ko 7pm).
Leigh Downing’s youngsters have enjoyed a mixed campaign against their international opponents, losing two and winning one of their three Group B matches so far.
The Baggies have experienced different flavours of continental competition, facing Danish, Italian and German opposition and come into the tie fresh from a 1-0 win over Brentford in the Premier League Cup.
Last time out
The academy hopefuls were left frustrated by German side Borussia Mönchengladbach in their previous encounter at the Alexander Stadium.
Albion were defeated 3-2 by Die Fohlen, where goals from Jaiden Francis-Caesar and Souleyman Mandey weren’t enough to secure a point.
How things stand
Albion are currently sixth in Group B and remain three points away from the teams in joint-second.
See how things stand ahead of Wednesday’s tie below.
| Position | Club | Matches played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goal difference | Points |
| 1. | Fulham | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 2. | FC Nordsjælland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 3. | Crystal Palace | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 4. | FC Valencia Mestalla | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 5. | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 6. | Albion | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
| 7. | Juventus | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -6 | 3 |
| 8. | Leicester City | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -4 | 0 |
Venue
The Baggies return to Solihull Moors’ home, Damson Park, this Wednesday for their fourth Premier League International Cup tie - it's set to be the third match of the campaign hosted there.
Pre-match thoughts
U21s boss Downing has hopes of ending their International Cup campaign with another memorable night in the competition.
The Senior PDP Coach has seen his side pit themselves against various European styles of play during their maiden term in the tournament, and the visit of Valencia should be another test of the youngsters’ mettle on Wednesday.
After a good run throughout the month of November, the boss has called for consistently, and says he’s full of optimism as the Baggies look to cap off their time in the contest with three points.
He said: "The competition has been a really good experience for us. The highs of the Juventus game, and being narrowly beaten by Borussia Mönchengladbach, where we were worthy of a point on the night.
"It means now that this last game gives us a slightly different focus. We still want to compete with one of Europe’s biggest clubs, and I think if the boys can do that, they’ll have showed a good level throughout the competition.
"It’s a great representation of us as an academy because it gives us motivation to try and play in this competition next season. We feel so much better having had that experience.
"The lads will have learned a lot about the different styles of the teams we’ve played. Nordsjælland in the first game were very possession-based, they dropped a lot of players into their build-up, and pulled our players out of shape.
"Juventus were a little more on the front foot, and Borussia Mönchengladbach were very physical. These tests are really important, because we find ourselves asking, ‘can they step up to the next level?’.
"Valencia being Spanish, we expect them to dominate the ball and that means we have to be organised without it. The last few weeks has given me a lot of optimism and we need to prove that we can perform on a regular basis.
"We can’t afford to drop off in our performances and we want to get back to performing regularly. It's about getting players close to first-team level – and that’s always the focus."
How to follow
Tickets will be available for Albion's Premier League International Cup tie against Valencia Mestalla on Wednesday night.
For those wishing to secure their ticket ahead to the game online, click here.
Supporters can buy tickets on the gate on the day of the game at Damson Park.
They are priced at £4 adults, and £2 for Under-17s and 65+. As with other Premier League youth cup competitions, free entry for season ticket holders is not available for any of this year's matches in the PL International Cup.
Alternatively, supporters will be able to watch a live stream from 6.50pm, and a link will be provided in due course.
Supporters can keep up-to-date with Wednesday's International Cup match across the club’s social media channels, with half-time, full-time, and goal updates as they go in.
