Manchester City will try to reach another FA Cup final when they face Southampton at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, with Pep Guardiola's side looking to extend a rare run of control over English soccer's oldest knockout competition.
City have reached the previous three FA Cup finals, winning the 2022-23 season title by beating Manchester United in the final, then losing to United two seasons ago and to Crystal Palace last term. They go into this semifinal after beating Arsenal last weekend and Burnley in midweek, and will be expected to make the last day again if they handle a Southampton side that has spent the season defying its status.
Southampton are unbeaten in their last 20 games across all competitions, a run that includes knocking Arsenal out in the quarterfinals, and they are still pushing for promotion from the Championship. That makes Saturday a different kind of test for City: not a league chase against a familiar rival, but a knockout tie against a team with momentum, no fear and little to lose.
City's injury list is short, but it does include Joško Gvardiol and Rúben Dias, two defenders whose absence can alter the shape of a back line in a one-off match. Even so, the bigger fact remains that Guardiola's team has been here repeatedly and usually found a way through, while Southampton have reached Wembley carrying the kind of form that can turn an upset into a memory that lasts.
