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

Southampton are sweating over the fitness of captain Jack Stephens ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final clash with Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.

Stephens pulled out of the starting lineup before Tuesday’s 2-2 Championship draw with Bristol City after tweaking his calf muscle in the warm-up, and a late call is set to be made on his availability this weekend. Mads Roerslev (Achilles) and Alex McCarthy (wrist), meanwhile, remain sidelined.

Should Stephens miss out, Nathan Wood is expected to continue at the heart of the defence alongside Man City academy graduate Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who was sold to the Saints for around £20m in 2024.

With head coach Tonda Eckert likely to stick with a four-man defence, James Bree and Ryan Manning could retain their starting spots as full-backs. Both players can push on as wing-backs if a back-three system is deployed, though.

Shea Charles, once on the books at Man City, scored an 85th-minute winner in Southampton’s 2-1 quarter-final triumph over Arsenal earlier this month, and he will hope to retain his place in centre-midfield alongside Flynn Downes. Caspar Jander and Cam Bragg could therefore begin as substitutes.

Finn Azaz has scored a team-high 10 goals and has registered seven assists in 39 Championship games this season, and he is expected to operate in the number 10 role in between wingers Tom Fellows and Leo Scienza.

Ross Stewart has scored three goals in five FA Cup appearances (one in two for Sunderland, two in three for the Saints), including the opener against Arsenal in the previous round. He also netted on his last Wembley appearance as a Sunderland player in May 2022, and he could be handed a start up front this weekend ahead of Cyle Larin and Cameron Archer.

Southampton possible starting lineup:

Peretz; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Manning; Downes, Charles; Fellows, Azaz, Scienza; Stewart

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