Pep Guardiola has made seven changes to his starting XI for today’s FA Cup semi-final with Brighton.

Benjamin Mendy makes his first appearance since the 1-0 win away at Burton Albion in January, replacing the injured Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back.

And Kyle Walker, Nicolas Otamendi, Ilkay Gundogan, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, and Raheem Sterling all come back into the starting lineup after being rested for the midweek win over Cardiff.

Indeed, just Ederson, Aymeric Laporte, Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus keep their place from the last game. 

Sergio Aguero, who came off 12 minutes into the second half of last weekend’s win at Fulham, remains out. 

City team

XI: Ederson, Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Mendy, Gundogan, Silva, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Sterling, Jesus.

Subs: Muric, Danilo, Stones, Sane, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Foden

Brighton team

City tactics

As ever, City will line up in a 4-3-3 formation.

Walker and Mendy will be charged with adding pace and width in wide areas, with Ilkay Gundogan once again playing the holding role in midfield. 

Silva and De Bruyne will bring guile ahead of him, with Bernardo and Sterling in support of Jesus, who will lead the line upfront. 

The plan will be to dominate possession and try to play the game in Brighton’s half. City under Guardiola look to dictate the pace of the game and play on the front foot - our 19 goals in four FA Cup matches so far this season are testament to our attacking ideals.

Match officials

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn

Fourth official: Roger East

VAR: Paul Tierney

AVAR: Andrew Halliday

Follow the semi-final LIVE via our Matchday Centre!

Stats

This will be the first meeting between Brighton and Manchester City in the competition since January 1983, when the Seagulls won a fourth-round tie en-route to their only previous appearance in an FA Cup final.

Brighton have only won one of their last 11 matches with City in all competitions (D3 L7), a 2-1 victory back in April 1989 in a second-tier clash.

City have progressed from ten of their previous 13 FA Cup semi-final appearances, including eight of the last nine. The Citizens have never lost back-to-back semi-finals in the competition.

Brighton are winless in their four previous matches at Wembley (D1 L3). Should they fail to win, they will become just the fifth different side to lose on all of their first five visits to the stadium in all competitions (Brentford, Leicester City, Middlesbrough and Shrewsbury Town).

City have scored more FA Cup goals in 2018-19 than any other side (19). Indeed, they are looking to become the first side to score at least 20 times within a single campaign since Chelsea back in 2011-12 (20), and the first time the club has done so since 1980-81 (20).

This will be City’s fourth match at Wembley in 2018-19 (W2 D1). Along with Chelsea (4) and Spurs (19), this will be the first time ever that three different club sides will play at least four games at the stadium within a single campaign.

Each of Brighton’s four previous goals scored at Wembley have come via different players. Gordon Smith and Gary Stevens scored against Manchester United in 1983 and Dean Wilkins and Dave Regis against Notts County in 1991.

Sergio Aguero and Riyad Mahrez are looking to become the first Man City players to score in two separate games at Wembley Stadium within the same season since Yaya Toure scored in both the 2010-11 FA Cup semi-final and Final.