Arsenal have the opportunity to claim their place in the Carabao Cup final on Thursday night, as they host Liverpool in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Last week's first-leg saw Arsenal play with 10-men for over an hour after Granit Xhaka's first-half red card, but an inspired defensive performance from the Gunners saw Mikel Arteta's side leave Anfield with an impressive 0-0 draw heading into the second leg.
The draw means victory by any margin will send the Gunners through to the Carabao Cup final, which is set to take place on Sunday, February 27, 2022 against Chelsea after the Blues beat Spurs in the other semi-final.
Xhaka will miss the second-leg through suspension after his red card at Anfield, and after Ghana were shockingly eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations in the group stages, Thomas Partey is set to make a quick return to Arsenal, but may still be unavailable for the game on Thursday.
Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Calum Chambers and Cedric Soares have all recovered from minor injuries and should be available for the second leg at the Emirates Stadium, whilst Martin Odegaard has completed his isolation period after testing positive for Covid-19.
So, what line-up will Arteta select? And, what could the final score be?
We used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction for Arsenal vs Liverpool on Thursday and this is what happened...
Arsenal vs Liverpool score predicted by FIFA 22 simulation
We used kick-off mode in FIFA 22, but didn't select a team to control, we then selected the teams and watched the match play out by itself, to give us a score prediction.
We predict that the Gunners could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Sambi Lokonga, Odegaard; Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli; Lacazette.
We then predict that Liverpool could set up in their 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Jones; Jota, Firmino, Minamino.
The Gunners took a commanding lead at the Emirates and were comfortably ahead after just 10 minutes, with Gabriel Martinelli and Saka both scoring within three minutes of each other to put Arsenal 2-0 ahead.
Odegaard spotted the run of Martinelli in behind Trent Alexander-Arnold and found the Brazilian with a delicate through ball, and the winger blasted past Alisson at his near post to put Arsenal ahead.
Just three minutes later on the 10-minute mark, Saka curled a fantastic effort from the edge of the box into the top left corner to double the Gunners' lead, with the height proving difficult for Alisson who was off his line.
Liverpool piled on the pressure and tested Aaron Ramsdale on numerous occasions as half-time approached, and Takumi Minamino found a goal for the Reds just before the break as he latched onto Curtis Jones' skilful flick to poke home at the far post.
And the Gunners' 2-0 lead was wiped out completely just after half-time, with Roberto Firmino finding the equaliser.
Liverpool's traditional high-press won possession in midfield and Firmino was found in acres of space inside the box, who proceeded to fire a powerful effort into the top right corner, leaving Ramsdale beaten.
Liverpool managed to turn the game completely on it's head with 10 minutes remaining through Diogo Jota.
Jota regained possession on the right-hand side of the Gunners box and the forward surged forwards, beating the challenges of Ben White and Tomiyasu along the way. Once Jota found himself some space on the left, he arrowed a fantastic shot past Ramsdale at his near post to put the visitors ahead.
But the drama wasn't over. Nuno Tavares came on for the injured Martinelli, and the full-back found a late equaliser in bizarre fashion.
Saka skipped past the sliding challenge of Andy Robertson on the right before swinging a deep cross towards Tavares at the back post, and as the defender challenged Alexander-Arnold in the air, the ball hit the back of his head, looping towards goal, over the 'keeper, and dropping into the far corner.
The game looked set to enter extra-time with the score level, but it was heartbreak for the Gunners as Jordan Henderson found the winner with the last kick of the game.
A long ball forward was headed clear by Tavares but only as far as Henderson on the edge of the box. The Liverpool captain, faked a shot on his right foot to cut onto his left, and the midfielder curled a long-range effort into the far corner to send the Reds through to the final.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Arsenal 3-4 Liverpool
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 22 predicts that the second-leg clash could provide one of the most thrilling games of the season, and despite Arsenal's best efforts, Liverpool's attacking talent may prove too much for the Gunners to handle, with the simulation sending Liverpool to the Carabao Cup final.
What do you think the final score will be in the real game? Let us know in the comments below.
FIFA 22 is the latest game in EA's popular FIFA video game franchise, which was released worldwide on Friday, October 1, 2021. The game is available now on all platforms including Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia and PC.
