U23 Preview: Albion V Crawley Town

Brighton & Hove Albion’s under-23s come up against Crawley Town in the Parafix Sussex Senior Cup Final at the Amex Stadium this evening, kick-off 7.45pm.

The Seagulls lifted the trophy with a 3-0 victory - after extra time - against the Red Devils in the competition last season - but Harry Kewell’s team will be looking to deny Simon Rusk’s side this time around.

Albion overcame East Preston [3-2], Haywards Heath Town [2-1], Whitehawk [3-1] and Pagham [6-0] to reach the final, while Crawley sealed victories over Bognor Regis Town [3-1] Hastings United [2-0, Eastbourne Borough [4-3] and Saltdean [6-0].

Rusk’s side head into the match in fine form, following a 16-match unbeaten run in all competitions - inside 90 minutes - and tonight’s match comes before Saturday’s Premier League 2 Division 2 Play-Off Final at Villa Park.

With Saturday’s game against Aston Villa in mind, Rusk could use the depth of his squad for Crawley’s visit to the Amex - also considering the Seagulls travel to Hong Kong next week for the Citi Soccer Sevens tournament.

Tonight's visitors ended the season 14th in League Two, following Saturday's 1-1 draw against Mansfield at Field Mill.

Albion supporters not attending the first team game at Manchester City or the women’s match at Watford can still purchase their tickets for tonight’s game online at seagullstickets.com.