'My Youth Cup message is: enjoy Anfield chance, but have no regrets'
Marc Bridge-Wilkinson will have a simple but powerful message for his Liverpool U18s players when they step out at Anfield on Friday night.
After wins over Sutton United, Manchester United and Leicester City in the FA Youth Cup so far, the young Reds will host Arsenal in a quarter-final tie to be held at the first-team stadium.
Bridge-Wilkinson's side are the leading goalscorers in the U18 Premier League this season, and in all competitions have netted an impressive 84 times in just 26 games.
There will be no underestimating the challenge posed by Arsenal, however, as Bridge-Wilkinson encourages his players to make the most of their Anfield opportunity.
"My final message to the boys will be: don't leave anything out there," the U18s boss told Liverpoolfc.com.
"Go out there, enjoy the experience, perform and do everything that you can to perform to the best of not only your ability, but as a group.
"Win, lose or draw, come in with no regrets. It might be the one occasion they get to play at Anfield in a competitive game, so don't come off the pitch with any regrets at all.
"It's important they enjoy it, work hard and do your job for the team, and put in a performance for the team so we can get a result that allows us to move forward."
The 7pm BST kick-off will be broadcast live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO, in the UK and Republic of Ireland only.
Ahead of the tie, read more from Bridge-Wilkinson on the big night ahead for his team…
On last Saturday's 6-0 win over Middlesbrough…
It was a good performance. We were pleased with the way that we played and the boys did a lot of things we asked the boys to in the game, and the result was really nice as well.
On two more strikes from Max Woltman, taking his tally to 12 goals so far this season…
Max is doing really well. He is playing in a slightly different role to how he was at the start of the season but he has adapted to that with a little bit of help from us as staff. He has taken it all on board and he is doing really well, and he looks like a goal threat for us, which is great. If you are making the right runs, which he is now doing, you will get chances and he is doing it brilliantly.
U18s highlights: Liverpool 6-0 Middlesbrough
On his team being the top goalscorers in the U18 Premier League, and netting 84 goals in 26 games in all competitions so far…
It's not bad but it can always be better! We are really pleased with the way we have played and some of the attacking play that we've had throughout the season has been fantastic. We've got lots of players in the group who can score goals and when you've got that, the different ways you do that become key. We know we can be better and we always strive to be the best we can be.
On the opportunity to play at Anfield on Friday night…
It's a really great evening for the Academy, not just our group, but for all the coaches who worked with the boys previously and a lot of the group have been here since pre-Academy, and the pre-Academy staff deserve a lot of credit for that, so it's a really great occasion for all of the Academy and we hope we can go out there and do it justice. It's brilliant to get this opportunity to play at Anfield and we are really thankful and grateful we have been given permission to do that. I don't think our lads have played there before, apart from maybe an open day when they were at pre-Academy age. It's great opposition, too, in Arsenal, they will be tough and we are really looking forward to it. The opportunity is there for the boys to go and perform at Anfield in a game that really means something. It's a great opportunity to see how they handle the pressure of playing in such a great stadium, [a] home game as well, which brings a bit more pressure, so it's a great occasion for them and it's one I hope they will relish and perform to our capabilities on the evening.
On the challenge posed by Arsenal…
Arsenal are a good team with good players. The history of the club and the club that they are, this is going to be a really good game and these are the games we look forward to. Both clubs produce players to go and play for their first team, so we are really excited and hopefully we can come out on the right side of it.
On his Youth Cup team being boosted with the likes of Tyler Morton and Conor Bradley, who have been regulars in Barry Lewtas' U23s this season…
It's brilliant. Some of the boys have been with the U23s and some of them have been training with the first team, but it's great we get the chance to use them in this competition because it's important. It's great that these boys can come back into the group and show them the standard that's needed higher up.
On how much he has enjoyed working with the players this season in his first campaign as U18s boss…
Day to day it's really exciting, we work really hard and we don't shy away from that, we work them hard and physically it's tough and mentally as well. We are really pleased with the way things have gone so far and hopefully that can carry on.