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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Alex James

Haaland and De Bruyne to start - Man City predicted FA Cup semi-final line-up vs Sheffield United

Manchester City continue their pursuit of the treble this weekend when they travel to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final.

Pep Guardiola's side secured a spot in the last four of the Champions League in midweek with a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich to complete a 4-1 aggregate victory. City are well placed in the Premier League, where they face Arsenal in a colossal clash next week.

But it is the FA Cup that takes centre stage this weekend, with City facing the Blades in the first last-four encounter. Kick off on Saturday is 4.45pm and a win would put the Blues a step closer to another trophy. There is a possibility of a Manchester derby in the showpiece with United facing Brighton on Sunday in the other semi-final.

Also read: Pep Guardiola brutally shuts down Treble chat as he sets Man City deadline

Guardiola could opt to rotate his squad given City are competing on three fronts but any changes are likely to be kept to a minimum. Here's how City could line up this weekend.

Goalkeeper - Ederson

Stefan Ortega started in the last round when City demolished Burnley but Ederson has played in the competition this season and is undisputed first choice. With a place in the final on the line, the Brazilian could well get the nod.

Defenders - Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte

Nathan Ake's injury in midweek rules him out of the contest. City are not awash with defenders having allowed Joao Cancelo to leave on loan to Bayern Munich. Kyle Walker has been out of favour in recent weeks while Rico Lewis, who did start in the quarter-final, may have to make do with a place on the bench this time around. Laporte came on for Ake in midweek and will hope to retain his place.

Midfielders - Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish

Rodri has been peerless for City this season and although Kalvin Phillips could come in amid the fixture congestion, the Spaniard has been key to Guardiola this term. Gundogan offers an experienced head alongside him while Silva's ability to play effectively in the tweaked City system of recent weeks should earn him a start. Jack Grealish has been superb since the World Cup and his form keeps him in the side, while De Bruyne has also returned to his best and can provide another creative threat. Riyad Mahrez is the unlucky one, while a return to the side for Phil Foden seems unlikely given his relative lack of training but expect to see him from the bench.

Strikers - Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez

There will be a temptation to rest Haaland with Arsenal on the horizon but Guardiola has consistently picked the Norwegian when available and will hope to see City tie the game up before bringing players off later into the contest. For his part, Haaland will want to play in these big games and his scoring record is so incredible he is hard to ignore. Alvarez joined him up front against Burnley in the quarter-final and could get another run on Saturday.

Have a go at selecting Saturday's City XI and compare it to other fans' choices below:

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