Jérémy Doku has a perfect record in Emirates FA Cup semi-finals – with two wins from two last-four clashes since he arrived at Manchester City from Rennes in the summer of 2023.
Now, with Southampton lying in wait at Wembley, he’s looking to make it a hat-trick against a side who have already pulled off one of the shocks of this year’s competition by knocking out Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
“The first one was against Chelsea (in April 2024),” says Doku.
“It was a tight game, but we won it in the second half. The second one against Nottingham Forest was also a good match.
“Semi-finals can sometimes be even more stressful than finals, but we’ve done well so far.
“Before I came to England I had never been involved in any semi-finals before. That first semi-final against Chelsea was my first experience at that level, so it was something new for me.”
It’s clearly one he enjoyed, playing a full role for a Pep Guardiola side that has turned Wembley into something close to a second home for the club over the past decade.
Despite his semi-final success, Doku has been on the wrong end of defeats in two Finals in succession, with City losing to Manchester United in 2024 and Crystal Palace 12 months later.
Doku scored in the former, pulling a goal back for City in the dying minutes after they had fallen two goals behind to their Manchester rivals.
Regardless, the 23-year-old Belgian international is once again relishing the opportunity to run out at Wembley against Southampton.
“Wembley is always special,” he says, smiling. “When you go there, you know it’s for a big game – a semi-final or a final. You can almost smell a trophy when you drive through the gates.
“I love playing in big stadiums with mixed fans; it’s always exciting.
“When I was growing up in Belgium I would always follow the big games. It didn’t matter which competition; it could be in Africa, the Premier League, the FA Cup Final, anything. If it was a big game, I would watch it.”
You can watch Saturday’s game on TNT Sports 1, HBO Max, BBC One and iPlayer in the UK, with kick-off time at 5.15pm BST.
