On their travels for the third time this season, Norwich City Under-23s look to make it four wins in a row as they visit Thorp Arch Grange to face Leeds United (12pm KO).
After three consecutive wins against Crystal Palace, Fulham and Stoke, including two clean sheets, David Wright’s side are on hot form as they fast approach their game against the Peacocks.
Thanks to these consistent results, the U23s sit top of the Premier League 2 table as they begin to make a marginal gap between the rest of the league, a three-point advantage separating them from second-placed Aston Villa.
Much like Crystal Palace, this will be the first time the Under-23s have faced Leeds United in the league, the hosts having just been granted category 1 academy status by the Premier League in July.
Leeds are making a good start in their first season of the league too, finding themselves in sixth-place with seven points from five games after winning two, drawing one and losing two so far.
Under-23s winger Josh Giurgi is certain his team’s approach to the game won’t be any different from the previous fixtures so far this season.
“I think the feeling doesn’t change from previous weeks, Leeds are just another team, we’re going to go into it with the same mindset as we’ve had for the last several games and nothing really will change.”
Scoring a stunning crucial goal in their last game against Stoke, Giurgi admits whilst he wasn’t sure it was going in, he saw it as a much-needed boost for his season.
“To be honest, it was a hit and hope! I think for me, it was about time, I’ve been looking for that goal since the start of the season.
“I’ve got a load of assists and I think the goal was the next step, so when that went in it gave me a really big boost of confidence. It was a relief to finally get that goal and the feeling was great to get the winner in a 2-1 win.”
Finally, speaking on his team’s top-spot in the league, the Irish forward says it’s no coincidence they sit top of the table, crediting his team’s tireless work behind-the-scenes.
“It gives the whole team a bit of confidence and again a bit of relief, we’re top of the table and we’ve worked hard from pre-season up to now to get all these victories and performances.
“It just shows the amount of hard work we’ve put in over the last few months and I think it’s going to show throughout the season that we are going to be fighting for promotion. We’re not top of the table by luck, it’s true sheer hard work and dedication.”
You can follow all the action of the game on our dedicated Academy Twitter account.