Manchester City will be aiming to reach a fourth successive FA Cup final when they take on Southampton on Saturday at 5:15pm.
The Citizens have lost the last two finals but are the favourites to win the FA Cup this season. They have already lifted the Carabao Cup and are still chasing Premier League glory.
Man City predicted lineup vs Southampton
Man City (4-2-3-1): Trafford; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Silva, Rodri; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland.
Pep Guardiola’s side had an easy opening run in the FA Cup this season. They beat Exeter City 10-1 before knocking out League Two team Salford City. But they then had to knock out Newcastle United and Liverpool, the latter a 4-0 win in the quarter-finals to book their trip to Wembley.
This is the eight consecutive season in which Man City have reached the FA Cup semi-finals, but only the second during that run where they face opposition outside the Premier League.
Man City team news vs Southampton
Guardiola has definitely settled on a first-choice starting XI this season, but there will be at least one change this weekend. James Trafford is expected to start in goal for Man City as their cup shot-stopper, with Gianluigi Donnarumma dropping down to the bench.
The Citizens remain without Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol from their defence, so the backline may remain unchanged from the win over Burnley. Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Nunes are the full-backs, with Marc Guehi and Abdukodir Khusanov at centre-back.
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Nico O’Reilly is likely to be moved further forward once again, to replace the injured Rodri in midfield. The Englishman was preferred to Nico Gonzalez in midweek, with Mateo Kovacic also watching on from the bench.
Man City’s front four seem settled. Erling Haaland should lead the line as normal, with Omar Marmoush struggling to depose him. Rayan Cherki is set to play as the No.10 with Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku flanking him.
That means the likes of Phil Foden, Tijjani Reijnders and Savinho will all have to make do with potentially coming off the bench.
Erling Haaland’s bizarre record
Erling Haaland has been scoring goals for fun ever since he joined Man City. The Norwegian has 159 in 193 games across all competitions, helping them to win everything. That includes 12 goals in 12 FA Cup matches. But there’s something about Wembley that seems to be Haaland’s kryptonite.
Haaland has played seven games at Wembley for Man City across all competitions. And he’s yet to score at the Home of Football.
He blanked in the Carabao Cup final earlier this season, and was also a passenger as Man City lost to Crystal Palace in last season’s FA Cup final. Of course, he might have had a chance to break his duck had he not allowed Omar Marmoush to take (and miss) a penalty.
Interestingly, Haaland has only played in one Man City’s three FA Cup semi-finals during his time at the club. The Norwegian missed semi-final wins over Chelsea in 2023-24 and Nottingham Forest last season due to injury. His one FA Cup semi-final appearance saw him blank against Sheffield United, who were in the Championship.