Match preview: Everton U21 vs Southampton U21

David Unsworth’s Everton under-21s return to action in the Barclays U21 Premier League on Monday evening, as they take on Southampton’s reserve side.

It is the team’s first game in a fortnight, as they were originally scheduled to take on Sunderland U21s earlier in the week. But their Premier League International Cup tie had to be postponed because of the Black Cats’ involvement in the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night, which saw them draw 0-0 against local rival Newcastle United’s youth team.

Southampton, meanwhile, will be looking to recover from their first defeat in seven games, as they fell 5-3 to Chelsea U21s at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

Despite that loss, Martin Hunter’s side have done well this season and sit level on points with leaders Chelsea in second place. They also have the distinction of scoring in each game they’ve played, with striker Ryan Seager having already reached a double digit goal tally.

Everton, on the other hand, were non-movers after their thrilling 3-3 draw with Fulham two weeks ago, and they remain in sixth – though a win on Monday could see them rise as high as third in the table.

There will also be some changes to the side that drew the last game, as the club’s deadline dealings saw winger Matthew Kennedy sold to Cardiff City and he was followed by Conor McAleny on loan, while midfielder Conor Grant also left on a temporary basis to join Motherwell.

Both teams have squared-off once so far this season, which saw the young Blues leave Hampshire with the points in a 3-1 victory.

Another Seager goal levelled things up for Southampton after Grant opened the scoring, but a late Chris Long brace put Everton out of sight.

The contest will once again be taking place at Southport’s Merseyrail Community Stadium, with a kick-off time of 19:00.

We’ll be bringing you live updates from Southport via our Twitter account, @RBMersey, and a match report will shortly follow the final whistle.