The FA Cup semi-final at Wembley brings an interesting team selection twist as Manchester City and Southampton both introduce multiple changes to their starting XIs.
Manchester City Lineup Changes
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made a heavily rotated selection, changing eight players from the side that featured in their last outing against Burnley.
James Trafford is handed the goalkeeping role, while the back line includes Matheus Nunes, John Stones, Nathan Aké, and Rayan Aït-Nouri. In midfield, Nico González joins Mateo Kovačić and Tijjani Reijnders to provide control and energy.
The attacking setup sees Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, and Omar Marmoush leading the forward line, with several senior stars rested for this fixture.
Notably absent from the squad are key names such as Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Jeremy Doku, and Gianluigi Donnarumma. John Stones returns after a spell out and captains the side in this crucial knockout match.
Southampton Team Adjustments
Southampton have also made six changes following their recent league fixture against Bristol City.
The Saints introduce Welington, Caspar Jander, Cameron Braggs, Tom Fellows, Leo Scienza, and Ross Stewart into the starting XI. Flynn Downes is unavailable due to suspension, while several regular starters miss out.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis takes the captain’s armband and faces his former club in a high-pressure semi-final setting.
Southampton Starting XI
Peretz, Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Welington, Jander, Bragg, Fellows, Azaz, Scienza, Stewart.
Venue
The match takes place at Wembley Stadium, where both teams will aim to secure a place in the FA Cup final.
Manchester City go in with a rotated but strong squad, while Southampton will hope their changes bring freshness and a chance to cause an upset on one of football’s biggest stages.