Stuart English believes that fixtures such as tonight’s against FC Barcelona show the huge strides being made by Brentford’s Academy.

A Brentford Under-16 side travelled to the Spanish city yesterday ahead of this evening’s game with one of the most successful Academies in the world.

Players such as Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandes, Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta have all progressed from Barcelona’s Academy to the world stage and tonight Brentford take on the next generation of Barcelona stars.

Speaking to Bees Player ahead of the match Stuart English, the Academy’s Head of Coaching, said that tonight’s game was all about individual players winning their individual battles on the pitch.

Stuart said it was a fantastic, and rare, opportunity to play against such world class players and that Brentford’s young players need to embrace the occasion and take confidence from how they perform.

“If they can perform well individually and collectively then coming home, having done that, they can kick on against the teams they play at home with the aim of becoming a scholar and then getting into the first-team,” said Stuart.

“This could be a really good push and confidence booster to say where can you go from here.

“Barcelona are a team and a club that it is very hard to get a fixture against.

“This fixture shows how far we have come because we would never have been able to play Barcalona four years ago and if we could it wouldn’t have been a competitive game by any stretch of the imagination.

“It is great to see that we are moving forward and that our name is one that top teams want to play against and know that they will have a decent game.

“It would be unbelievable and great for the boys if we could beat Barcelona.

“It is not all about winning but it is a great challenge for them.

“It is a one off game so lets see how good we are against how good they are.

“We will look to play our philosophy and make sure that the boys play our philosophy in a sensible way.

“If there are problems then they will have to go and find solutions.

“If they can go and win the game that will be great but it is the performance that is really crucial and how our individuals play up against their individuals will be key.”

This will be the third prestige friendly for Brentford’s Academy in the last 12 months and Danny Buck’s side will be looking to go for a third win.

At this time last year Brentford’s victorious Milk Cup side travelled to Holland as Under-17s and beat AZ Alkmaar 4-1 while, as Under-15s, the group currently in Barcelona beat Inter Milan 2-1 in Italy earlier in 2014.

For Stuart these opportunities to test players against continental styles of play are fantastic ones.

With the match being played under floodlights at the world famous La Masia complex Stuart believes it all adds up to being a fantastic opportunity and learning experience for both the coaches and the players.

“This is an unbelievable opportunity for the boys and something we want to do more,” said Stuart.

“We want to get the boys to play in tournaments where there is a little bit of pressure.

“We also want to play against teams from different continents and countries because they all play in different ways.

“If we want to create the best players for Brentford and for England we have to have players who can understand situations can react to the situations.

“We want to give them a brief outline but then the players have to manage things on the pitch.

“It can’t be all from the coach and having these experiences helps that.

“I love going to watch games in the evening in the dark with the floodlights on because it really gives a good atmosphere to the game.

“That will be new but good for the players.

“For the coaches it is almost about seeing where we are at.

“What players can stand up to challenge and where are we as a team.

“For a lot of these players we are making decisions on their scholarships in the next couple of months.

“It will be a really good test for them and we will be able to make good decisions at the end of it about which players we really believe can go and kick on into the first team.”

One thing Stuart admits The Bees will have to overcome is the knowledge that they are playing Barcelona in their own back yard.

Stuart said it will be hard to forget that they are playing the name of Barcelona but hopes the players can focus on playing the opponent not the team.

The Head of Coaching believes that playing against teams such as Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Inter Milan in the last few months has helped in this regard.

Stuart has total belief that if The Bees can go out and give a good account of themselves they will have enough to be very competitive against the Catalan club.

“The mood has been brilliant,” said Stuart.

“The boys are so excited as Barcelona have been probably the biggest club for the last 10 years.

“It is a massive opportunity for the boys to come out here and pit their wits against them and compare themselves to them.

“We feel they are a good group of boys and they feel they are good players and this will be a great test for them.

“It is hard to forget the name of Barcelona.

“Working with the younger boys whenever we play Arsenal or Tottenham it is the same because they realise they are playing against a real team.

“Since these are Under-16s and they have played against Liverpool and other top teams I don’t think it will be a massive problem.

“Initially we might need to remind them that they are just another team.

“They will be wearing Barcelona shirts and have very good players but they are just another team.

“We need to go and perform and do what we can do.

“Although we are looking at what they do and how they do it, it is only a brief look.

“The majority of it is about looking at what we do and try to perform at the highest level we can.”

Stuart is expecting a high quality game of football this evening as both sides look to play in a similar mould.

With high pressing and good passing football the philosophy for both sides Stuart expects a good technical game of football.

Playing against a side who play in a similar style will help Brentford according to Stuart and he thinks that control of possession is vital if The Bees are to come back from this trip with a victory.

“A lot of the philosophy that we started four years ago is being done here,” said Stuart.

“We want to play a possession based game, play through the thirds and look to create opportunities by moving the ball and creating pressure.

“Off the ball we look to go and press which is similar to what they do so I think it will be very similar.

“It will be two very similar philosophies which is good because a lot of the teams that we play at home know how we play and will sit in and defend which makes it hard for the boys.

“This should be a really good game with both teams playing with really good philosophies.

“Off the ball we are going to have to work very hard from the start and press high.

“We need to do the dirty side of football but we have to be calm enough to keep possession when we have it.

“Technically we have some very good players in this age group and we are capable of doing that.

“That is very important because if we press well and work hard and win the ball back but then give it away all the time then it will be an impossible game for us.

“If we can win it, keep it and maintain possession for a period of time then that will allow us to play through their press and that will give us confidence and we can get into the game.”

Bees Player subscribers can watch the full interview here