Arsenal will be looking to return to winning ways on Saturday afternoon when they host Brentford in the Premier League.
Since Arsenal 's 3-2 win over Manchester United, the Gunners have gone through what seems their toughest period of the season so far, losing two on the bounce without scoring a goal. A 1-0 loss to Man City in the FA Cup was followed by a shock 1-0 defeat against Everton in the Premier League, but Mikel Arteta was left counting his lucky stars as Manchester City lost on the same weekend.
The Man City loss meant that Arsenal sit five points clear of Pep Guardiola's side with a game in hand, but Arteta will be looking to rediscover his winning ways and extend their lead at the top of the table this weekend. Brentford have impressed this season as the Bees sit seventh in the league, but their first meeting with the Gunners this season ended in a 3-0 win for Arsenal.
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So, could Arsenal maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League? We simulated the game to find out.
We simulated Arsenal vs Brentford to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the Gunners could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Odegaard, Xhaka; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
We predict that the Bees could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Raya; Ajer, Pinnock, Mee, Janelt; DaSilva, Norgaard, Jensen; Mbuemo, Toney, Wissa.
Arsenal got off to the worst start possible at the Emirates, with William Saliba being sent off after 19 minutes for a reckless challenge on Ivan Toney. Down to 10 men, the Gunners were struggling, and they went a goal down 26 minutes in when Toney tapped home Bryan Mbuemo's drilled cross from close range.
Brentford almost doubled their lead just before the break when Mbuemo fired a free-kick towards goal, but his effort rattled the crossbar as Arsenal entered the break a goal behind. The Gunners came out a much better side in the second half as they ambushed the Bees' goal with shots, and they levelled the score after 56 minutes through Gabriel Martinelli.
Oleksandr Zinchenko spotted the Brazilian making a run forward down the left, and his long ball was perfect for the winger to latch on to. A fantastic solo run saw Martinelli skip past two defenders to break through on goal, and a curling effort around the 'keeper made it 1-1.
Jorginho and Leandro Trossard were both introduced off the bench on the hour, and the latter almost had an instant impact as he was well-denied by David Raya. The pressure was relentless from Arsenal and they made it 2-1 not long after their equaliser through Jorginho.
As the Gunners worked their way around the Brentford box, a bursting run forward by Jorginho was picked out by Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian slipped a pass into the path of the Italian, and after taking the ball in his stride, he powered across goal and into the net.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Raya was on top form in goal, with the 'keeper making a handful of incredible saves to keep the score at 2-1. But, the Spaniard was beaten for a third time in the 90th minute when Odegaard topped off a fantastic second-half display.
Trossard used his fantastic acceleration to power past his marker and hook a cross back into the box, finding Odegaard in space. On the volley, the Gunners captain fizzed a shot at goal, bouncing over Raya's outstretched foot and into the net to confirm the three points.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Arsenal 3-1 Brentford
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Arsenal could show incredible determination and character to overcome a tough test against Brentford on Saturday. Despite going a goal and man down in the simulation, the Gunners responded with three goals to pick up a huge victory.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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