Your guide to the 2017 UEFA Youth League finals
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Article summary
The fourth UEFA Youth League finals begin in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday with Barcelona, Benfica, Real Madrid and Salzburg vying for the Lennart Johansson trophy.
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Who is involved?
Barcelona, Benfica, Real Madrid and Salzburg.
Barcelona won the inaugural UEFA Youth League final three years ago, defeating Benfica 3-0, although none of those players will be on show this time. It is both those teams' first appearance in the final four since then – in contrast to Real Madrid, who lost to Paris Saint-Germain last season, having succumbed to Benfica in 2014, again in the semi-finals. That leaves Salzburg as the only newcomers.
Get the lowdown on the contenders in our semi-finalist profiles:
Who is playing who and when?
Semi-finals (Friday)
Barcelona v Salzburg (13:00CEST)
Real Madrid v Benfica (17:00CEST) – SOLD OUT
Final (Monday, 17:00CEST)
Matches will be played at Colovray Stadium, opposite UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
- Final tournament: Nyon 2017
- Introducing the UEFA Youth League trophy
- Where are Barcelona's 2014 UEFA Youth League winners now?
Where can I watch/follow the action?
All three fixtures will be televised and/or streamed on UEFA.com. A comprehensive MatchCentre will also be in operation for each game and @UEFAYouthLeague will provide regular news and updates from Nyon all weekend. Use #UYL to get involved.
Which players should I look out for?
Jordi Mboula (Barcelona): A runner-up with Spain at the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Mboula has pace to burn. The winger comes into finals weekend as the joint-second top scorer in this season's competition with seven goals, the pick of them undoubtedly his effort against Borussia Dortmund that sent social media into a frenzy.
José Gomes (Benfica): Leading marksman and golden player at the 2016 UEFA European U17 Championship, 'Zé Golo' has been a regular for Benfica's B team in the Portuguese second tier this term. He made his UEFA Champions League debut against Napoli in September.
Sergio Díaz (Real Madrid): Díaz joined Madrid last summer from Cerro Porteño in his native Paraguay. Capable of playing as a lone striker or on either wing, the 19-year-old has registered four goals and supplied as many assists.
Xaver Schlager (Salzburg): Schlager, with five, is the foremost assist provider in the 2016/17 tournament. The midfielder, a regular in Salzburg's first-team squad, scored on his full UEFA Europa League debut in December.
What happened in previous finals?