Academy Show: Bobby Duncan, the Virgil van Dijk protege and the Liverpool side out to pip Manchester City to glory

It is another huge week for Liverpool’s double-chasing first team in their battle with Manchester City for the Premier League title. But’s it’s also a big week for the Reds’ Under-18s side, who will hope to win the first of two trophies of their own on Thursday night when they take on – you guessed it – Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup final. One look at the Under-18 Premier League North table would suggest that Barry Lewtas’ team will be favourites to land Liverpool’s first FA Youth Cup since 2007. But the Reds youngsters have certainly not been helped by their opponents or the authorities when it comes to the scheduling of the match, as the special guest of this podcast, our Liverpool FC correspondent James Pearce, explains. James also explains why the Reds’ talisman and top-scorer Bobby Duncan will be particularly fired up for the final, why the side is much more than the admittedly brilliant strike-partnership between Duncan and captain Paul Glatzel, including the Under-18s’ very own ‘Virgil van Dijk’, as well as praising the job manager Lewtas has done. James is also full of praise for Under-23 manager Neil Critchley, whose side round off their Premier League 2 campaign on Sunday when they welcome Blackburn Rovers to Anfield, which could be Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s first match at the ground since suffering that terrible injury versus Roma.