Club NXT U19 faces AS Monaco U19 in the next round of the UEFA Youth League. Today at 3:30pm the draw for the Round of 32 took place in Nyon, where the thirty-two teams discovered who they will face on February 3 or 4. Thanks to finishing third in the league phase, Club has the home advantage which means the game will be played at The NEST. The schedule of the Round of 32 will be announced on Tuesday December 16 at 12am.
THE DRAW
The teams who finished in position 1 to 6 in the League Phase are seeded and will by default play at home. They are drawn with the teams who finished in position 17 to 22 in the League Phase. During the draw the first six teams will be seperated and drawn one by one to pair up with one of the bottom six teams.
OUR PARCOURS IN THE LEAGUE PHASE
The campaign got underway with a home fixture against AS Monaco U19, where Club NXT U19 made a perfect start, edging a 1-0 win thanks to a calmly converted penalty from captain Laurens Goemaere.
A few weeks later came the first trip on the road, travelling to Italy, where Club produced a mature performance to see off Atalanta Bergamo U19 0-2, with Jesse Bisiwu finding the net twice.
On 22 October, a second away day followed, this time against Bayern Munich U19. Club NXT U19 delivered an emphatic display, running out 0-3 winners and securing a third consecutive clean sheet for goalkeeper Argus. Goemaere once again converted from the spot, before Musuayi and Verlinden added further gloss to the scoreline.
Next up was a home clash with FC Barcelona U19. Club started on the front foot, carving out early chances through Koren and Furo, but it was Lund Jensen who broke the deadlock in the 16th minute. In a tense finale, Van Britsom sealed the points with a last-minute strike in normal time to make it 2-0. It marked a fourth straight victory and a fourth successive clean sheet for Argus.
At the end of November, the side travelled to Portugal for their final away fixture, taking on Sporting CP U19 at the Estádio Aurélio Pereira. Club NXT U19 suffered their first and only defeat of the campaign, going down 2-1 after Sporting struck twice in the second half. Musuayi pulled one back deep into stoppage time, registering his second goal of the League Phase.
The group stage concluded with a home encounter against Arsenal U19 on Wednesday 10 December. The visitors struck early through Agustien, forcing Club to chase the game for long spells. Arsenal goalkeeper Porter kept his side in front with a string of saves, but Musuayi finally found the equaliser in the 85th minute. His third of the campaign and enough to finish as Club’s top scorer in the League Phase. Then, in dramatic fashion, Van Britsom rose highest in the 96th minute to head home Kurtal’s delivery and complete the comeback.