Everton Under-18s goalkeeper Zan-Luk Leban says the young Blues are ready to tackle another “great challenge” in Tuesday night’s FA Youth Cup quarter-final tie at West Bromwich Albion (7pm GMT).

The game at The Hawthorns is being streamed live on our official YouTube channel, with coverage beginning at 6.45pm. 

Everton have reached the last eight with exceptional away victories over tournament favourites Manchester City and Chelsea. Between them, City and Chelsea have won the Youth Cup in eight of the past nine seasons.

The Toffees face another significant test against West Brom, with the Baggies having beaten Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 in the previous round.

But Slovenian youth international Leban, 18, says the Everton squad is flushed with confidence ahead of the showdown at The Hawthorns – and revealed the players’ steely determination to book a semi-final spot.

“I’m massively looking forward to the game,” Leban told evertontv.

“I’ve been thinking about it since Chelsea in the last round. We had to play Stoke in between [a 4-1 win last Tuesday] so we had to concentrate on that, but I can’t wait for this game. 

“It’s going to be a big one. Of course, it is a big challenge but the plan is to win. I believe we can, and the team believes in that as well. 

“The belief is great because we’ve knocked out two of the biggest teams in the competition.

“Nobody should underestimate us because we really are a good team, with loads of quality.”

Leban says the nature of Everton’s victories over City and Chelsea has further strengthened the bond between the Toffees players.

The Blues blended technical quality with a relentless work-ethic and deep reserves of resilience and desire across both matches – and were rewarded with dramatic late winning goals.

Leban was a key figure in the cup successes, making excellent saves when called upon and helping to ease the pressure on the Blues’ defence by confidently claiming crosses and commanding his penalty area.

“I am happy with my form, but it doesn’t stop there,” said Leban, who joined Everton from Polish side CB Escola Varsovia in 2019.

“We need to keep going and hopefully win the cup.

“I think the team spirit has got even higher after the two late wins. 

“The games we played may not have been the nicest [to watch] but, with the team shape we had, no-one could come through us. That has made the team even more united.

“We have a great, great challenge ahead and, I say again, the plan is to win.”

Watch West Brom Under-18s v Everton Under-18s live on our official YouTube channel from 6.45pm on Tuesday.

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