Attilio Lombardo’s men have seen off Blackpool and Wigan Athletic to reach this stage and are on a four-match winning streak after Monday’s 4-0 Manchester Senior Cup win over Oldham Athletic.
That quarter-final win over Wigan was the first in an impressive four-match winning streak which has included impressive wins at the expense of Stoke City, Norwich City and Oldham.
It seems unlikely that Lombardo will retain the services of first-team-bound Jack Rodwell who turned in a man of the match winning performance away at Oldham on Monday, while John Guidetti limped out of last week’s win over Norwich.
Micah Richards is another first-teamer that may have played his last game for the EDS this season but City have Shay Facey and Ellis Plummer to slot in at the back alongside Dedryck Boyata and Greg Leigh.
Denis Suarez will be looking to extend his red-hot scoring streak. The Spain under-20 international has hit four goals in his last three games.
Rochdale have beaten Bolton Wanderers and Accrington Stanley to reach this semi-final and have home advantage for Friday’s 2pm kick-off.
The winner of Friday’s other semi-final between Manchester United and Oldham Athletic await City or the Dale in the final.
Admission is free, with the main stand open to supporters.
We’ll bring you a match report from Spotland, as well as live Twitter updates on our official account.
