Otis Honor previews Brentford's FA Youth Cup clash with Chelsea U18s | OneFootball

Brentford Under-18s midfielder Otis Honor says he is excited for “a massive test” in Tuesday night's FA Youth Cup clash with Chelsea Under-18s at Wheatsheaf Park (7pm kick-off GMT).

Gary McDermiott’s side come into the game eyeing a win to go through to the fourth round, a stage of the competition the young Bees haven't reached since the reintroduction of the academy.

Speaking ahead of the tie, Honor said the group was excited to play in front of a packed-out Wheatsheaf Park.

“It’s going to be a massive game for all of the lads, we’re bang excited for it. It’s the biggest competition for our age group… we’ll be ready,” he said.

“Hopefully we'll get a good crowd in and have all the fans backing us, that will definitely help us.

“We’ve all played against the likes of Chelsea before, it’s just like any other game really, we've just got to play that 10 per cent better and we’ll be fine.”

Honor is no stranger to the competition, having featured for the Bees in last season’s 4-3 loss to Norwich City at Carrow Road.

He scored the visitors' opening goal in what proved to be an entertaining clash, Brentford coming from behind to equalise on two occasions before the hosts found a late winner.

Honor said the players that remain in west London from that team would use that experience on Tuesday against Chelsea.

“It was a good game, I feel like we should’ve won the game and we definitely learnt from it a lot,” he explained.

“Playing in that game will definitely help us, having a feel of the Youth Cup before Chelsea.”

Honor has enjoyed a strong 2025/26 season, which has featured games with the U18s and Sam Saunders’ B team across the Professional Development League and London Senior Cup.

The midfielder also signed his first professional contract with the club in October, alongside Enrique Roca.

Reflecting on his season to date, Honor said his development has been aided by playing against more experienced opposition.

“It’s good playing across both age groups. It’s great being with all the lads, playing against better players, older players. It’s definitely better for my development to try and push on,” said Honor.

Last time out

Brentford fell to a 3-1 defeat against Cardiff City in Saturday's PDL game at Leckwith Stadium.

Featuring a mix of U18 and U16 squad members, the Bees went into half-time 1-0 down before conceding again just after the break.

U16 striker Jai Nwosu managed to pull one back for the Bees midway through the second half, however a late penalty saw Cardiff secure all three points.

About Chelsea U18s

Chelsea come into Tuesday's clash undefeated in the U18 Premier League and second in the south group table, three points behind leaders Crystal Palace.

The young Blues are in good form as of late, winning back-to-back games against West Ham (2-1) and Ipswich Town (3-0) after a goalless draw with Norwich City.

Chelsea are led by head coach Hassan Sulaiman, who has been in the role since March 2023. Sulaiman led the side to a southern title in the 2023/24 season, eventually losing the national final to Manchester United 2-1, the same team they lost to in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup last season.

England youth international Chizaram Ezenwata has impressed up front for the Blues this season, while Shumaira Mheuka has starred for the U18s, also stepping up to the U21 squad.

Ticket information

Tickets are available here.

Adults - £5

Seniors (65+) - £3

Juniors (U18) - £1

Match coverage

The club will have updates of the game against Chelsea on social media, as well as a match report on the club's website and app.