PREMIER League leaders Man City and Championship promotion hopefuls Saints face off in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Man City breezed past Liverpool 4-0 for their spot in the semi-finals, while Southampton upset City’s title rivals Arsenal with a 2-1 victory.
The last time the two sides faced each other in a knockout game, Saints came out on top, knocking City out of the EFL Cup in 2023.
The last FA Cup clash between the two teams resulted in a 4-1 quarter-final win for the Citizens in 2022.
Saints have reached this far in the FA Cup twice in the last 10 years, losing both ties. Their last successful semi-final came in 2003, beating Watford 2-1 to reach the final.
They have only achieved this feat four times in the clubs history, winning the tie in 1976 in a 1-0 win against Manchester United, meaning this campaign is taking place on the 50th anniversary of the trophy win.
City, on the other hand, have reached three finals in the last three years, lifting the trophy just once.
They won’t be just looking for redemption, as they are on the hunt for another domestic treble, with this year’s Carabao Cup already in their cabinet, and currently leading the league on goals scored.
City are the only men’s team in English history to achieve this specific feat, which they did in the 2018-19 season.
Team News
Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy has been out since February with a wrist injury, but had lost his starting place to Bayern Munich loanee Daniel Peretz before that anyway.
Full-back Mads Roerslev is another long-term absentee, having suffered a knee injury back in November.
City academy graduate Taylor Harwood-Bellis captained Southampton in the quarter-final against Arsenal and in their most recent Championship fixtures against Swansea and Bristol City.
Pep Guardiola had to leave Rodri out against Burnley in midweek due to injury, stating in the build-up to the game that he would have to see regarding his availability for Southampton.
Defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias are both expected to remain out with their injuries.
Summer signing Rayan Cherki could reach the milestone of his 50th appearance for City.
