By Rik Sharma

PUBLISHED: 09:10 EST, 9 August 2013 | UPDATED: 10:15 EST, 9 August 2013


Chelsea face Tottenham on Friday night at Aldershot as the Barclays U21 Premier League gets underway with a revamped format.

Each team plays every other team once, and the top four at the end of the season play semi-finals and a final to decide the winner.

Last year's champions were Manchester United, in the inaugural competition, which replaced the Premier Reserve League last season.

Scroll down for the opening weekend fixtures

Scroll down to find out who these stars are that you should look out for

Scroll down to find out who these stars are that you should look out for

Each club most host at least three games at their main stadium during the season, which means you can expect to see some of these youngsters on a grand stage.

Only three games can be played at clubs' training grounds - i.e behind closed doors.

Three outfield players over the age of 21 can feature for the sides - and the goalkeeper is an additional player who can be older than 21.

The 22 Barclays U21 Premier League sides

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Reading, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Here are Sportsmail's five youngsters to watch out for this season.

Jesse Lingard - Manchester United

He dazzled on Manchester United's tour of Asia and is a versatile young attacker. He can play on either flank, though is extremely dangerous drifting off the left into shooting positions.

Lingard can also play in support of a target striker. He is quick - both in terms of pace and speed of thought. He is a cool finisher and a superb player on the counter attack.

Kenneth McEvoy - Tottenham

He plays on Tottenham's left wing, wears the No 11, is lightning quick and has an eye for goal. No it's not Gareth Bale, it's his look-a-like. Kenneth McEvoy plays like the Welshman and also bears more than a passing resemblance.

The winger can also play on the right, is canny in his dribbling and can cause opponents havoc. His awareness and positioning are good and his crossing is strong.

Prospects: Manchester United's Jesse Lingard (left) and Tottenham's Kenny McEvoy (right) are two of the future stars who will be on display in the Under 21 Premier League

Lewis Baker - Chelsea

Lewis Baker is an attack minded central midfielder but he is not afraid of a tackle either - similar to Frank Lampard in that respect. A key figure in Chelsea's runs to the NextGen and FA Youth Cup finals, he has an eye for goal and is two-footed.

He captains the side and is a good foil for midfield partner Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Ba is a good passer but doesn't quite have the range of Josh McEachran. If he can improve his strength and speed he will have a chance of making it at the top level.

Jack Grealish - Aston Villa

Jack Grealish is a stylish inside forward and quite experienced for his age. He can play on either wing or behind the striker and could make some appearances for Paul Lambert's first team this season.

Kevin MacDonald's work with Villa's youth deserves recognition and Grealish's improvement is a good example.

Stars of tomorrow: Chelsea's Lewis Baker (left) and Aston Villa's Jack Grealish (right) are both tipped for bright futures

Daniel Crowley - Arsenal

Arsenal pinched him from Aston Villa and despite only being 16-years-old is set for U21 football this season. An impressive playmaker, Crowley's passing is his best attribute. He is extremely inventive and could take the league by storm.

His vision is superb and even Juventus were linked with him before he joined the gunners. Crowley is part of England's U17 side and is expected to progress to the ranks above sooner rather than later.

Teenage kicks: 16-year-old playmaker Daniel Crowley is set to feature for Arsenal in the Under 21 League this season

Teenage kicks: 16-year-old playmaker Daniel Crowley is set to feature for Arsenal in the Under 21 League this season

OPENING WEEKEND FIXTURES

Friday August 9
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur (7.05pm) At the Recreation Ground, Aldershot (Free admission); Live on Chelsea TV

Sunday August 11
Manchester City v Fulham (1pm) At Ewen Fields, Hyde FC (3 adults, 1 children)

Monday August 12
Liverpool v Southampton (2pm) At Kirkby Academy; Live on LFC TV
Norwich City v Stoke City (2pm) At Colney Training Centre
Sunderland v Bolton Wanderers (2pm) At Academy of Light
West Bromwich Albion v Blackburn Rovers (3pm) WBA Training Ground
Middlesbrough v Leicester City (7pm) Victoria Park, Hartlepool
Reading v Newcastle United (7pm) Madejski Stadium (4 adults, 2 concessions)
West Ham United v Aston Villa (7pm) Rush Green Stadium, Romford
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton (7pm) New Buck's Head, Telford


The comments below have not been moderated.

Kenny mcevoy the top talent on show here .......

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Just hope the media and clubs give these kids a chance to develop before heaping expectations and "the next.." labels on them. Problem is so much money is at stake for so many clubs that few managers want to take a risk and play a young player over an older player

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Kevin MacDonald is a great coach, I am so glad he stayed with our club after managing the first team, his career could have gone awol but he went back to what he is best at and we won the NextGen European Champs, cheers Kevin keep up the good work!!

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Adnan Januzaj! Next Question.

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Just selecting players from the top clubs; Norwich City won the FA Youth Cup Final beating Chelsea, not even mentioned.

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Lingard = a young Bebe.

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Look out for Sol Carney at Southampton Academy (Bath) the one Gareth Bale came through..... he is centre midfield and just turned 16 in May this year.

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Jack Grealish is impressive. A follower of youth football. The ball seems to stick to his foot, so hard to tackle. Hope he progresses. It's a shame he chose to play for Republic of Ireland at youth level rather than England. He is a Brummie, but comes from an Irish family.

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So, you mention Lewis Baker being part of Chelsea's run to the final of the Next Gen but fail to mention the role Jack Grealish played in Villa winning it? How bizarre. Kevin MacDonald left Villa over a year ago, so his inclusion in the article seems largely irrelevant.

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Save for Jack Grealish, it's the same old same old. Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, ManU. What about Liverpool and ManC? Surprised you didn't include anyone from them.

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