Man City lineup vs. Southampton: Predicted XI for FA Cup semi-final

Manchester City will be without three players for up for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final clash with Southampton at Wembley Stadium.

While Jokso Gvardiol (tibial fracture) and Ruben Dias (ankle) remain sidelined through injury, Rodri is also unavailable with a groin problem that forced him to miss the Citizens’ 1-0 victory over Burnley in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Nico O’Reilly was handed a start in centre-midfield alongside caption Bernardo Silva at Turf Moor, and the pair could link arms in the middle once again this weekend, though Nico Gonzalez will be hoping to force his way into the first XI.

Manager Pep Guardiola has hinted at the possibility of making some changes to his lineup, and one likely alternation is set to come between the sticks, with cup goalkeeper James Trafford replacing Gianluigi Donnarumma.

A back four of Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guehi and Rayan Ait-Nouri may remain intact, but the likes of Nathan Ake and John Stones could be considered for as rare start at the heart of the defence.

After watching his Citizens side score with just one of their 28 shots on goal against Burnley, Guardiola may consider changes in attack, with Savinho, Omar Marmoush and Phil Foden all pushing to earn a recall. Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku could be at risk of dropping out, but in-form Rayan Cherki should retain his starting spot in the number 10 role.

Erling Haaland scored his 35th goal of the season in all competitions in midweek and he is expected to lead the line against Southampton. The Norwegian has scored 12 goals in 12 FA Cup appearances for Man City, with 11 of those 12 goals coming as part of hat-tricks, including three against Liverpool in a 4-0 quarter-final win earlier this month.

Manchester City possible starting lineup: 

Trafford; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Bernardo, O'Reilly; Savinho, Cherki, Marmoush; Haaland

> Click here to see how Southampton could line up against Manchester City

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