Kick-off away against League One Oxford United's senior side is 7.45pm.

Academy right-back Derrick Abu is one of many players who after playing for the Under-18s last year has made the step up to Under-21s football. He missed the early parts of the season but has now started back-to-back Premier League 2 fixtures.

Pushing on

As he seeks a spot in the starting line-up in a new competition for him, he spoke to the Chelsea website on how he has been working to improve his game as a whole and get the attention of the coaching team.

'This season has started off very well for me from a personal point of view as I have been working hard to get myself into the team and the two games I have started recently show my hard work is paying off.' Abu said.

'I am always trying to get my body in the right shape as well as being prepared mentally as there are a lot of games to be played this season.'

Abu like many of the players in the Chelsea Academy is eligible to play in a number of competitions and this is a prospect that the young defender relishes.

'I want to play as many games as possible as that is the only way I can get better. The more games I play the more I can work on different areas of my game.'

Faith and confidence

Abu added that despite all his effort into becoming a more complete player, the belief and faith shown in his ability by the coaching team is what helps in making him play better.

'The coaching team in all the age groups I play in have shown a lot of faith in my talents and as a player that can only help you to achieve your goals and the team's goals.'

Having lost our first group game, winning this evening is important to boost the chance of qualifying into the next round of the competition.

'The preparation has been great, I feel like we are getting closer to the identity and the culture that the coach wants us to have as a team,' said Abu. 'On and off the pitch I think we are in sync with each other and we know what to expect from each other. Two draws in recent games where we feel like on another day would have been wins shows that we are getting there.

'The coach [Mark Robinson] has made me feel confident and I am sure other players feel the same way and whether I am playing or not, I feel like a key member of the squad.'

Our opponents

Our opponents are not in the finest form as they are winless in their last three games, however they do have two wins in their last five so we must be wary of the threat they carry.

They also beat Leyton Orient, one of the other teams in this group 5-0 so currently sit top of Group O.

Last time out

Our first fixture in this group saw us lose 1-0 to Sutton United despite us edging the possession as well as the chances created.

Even after Cesare Casadei's red card in the second half of the game, our development squad were still in control but just failed to find the net.

Tickets for the game against Oxford United are still available for £10 and can be purchased here.