Mohamed Salah is set to return to the Liverpool squad just four days on from AFCON heartbreak, as the Reds host Leicester City in the Premier League.
The AFCON final left Liverpool fans with mixed emotions on Sunday night when Sadio Mane and Senegal emerged victorious against Salah and Egypt, but despite Salah playing 480 minutes for Egypt in a space of 10 days, the 29-year-old returned to training on Tuesday ahead of the Leicester clash on Thursday.
Mane has been ruled out of contention for Thursday night's game with the winger currently in Senegal soaking up the celebrations, meaning January signing Luis Diaz could potentially make his first start and his Premier League debut for the Reds against the Foxes.
Diaz appeared to pick up a knock in his 30-minute cameo against Cardiff in the FA cup on Sunday, but the Colombian has been passed fit by Jurgen Klopp, giving the German boss a fully-fit squad at his disposal. The last meeting between Liverpool and Leicester was a frustrating one for Klopp's side, with Salah missing a penalty as the Reds lost 1-0, the only league game where Liverpool had failed to score this season.
So, what line-up will Klopp select? And, what could the final score be?
We used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction for Liverpool vs Leicester and this is what happened...
Liverpool vs Leicester score predicted by 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 Liverpool could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Elliot, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Jota, Diaz.
We predict that Rodgers' side could set up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Schmeichel; Pereira, Amartey, Soyuncu, Justin; Tielemans, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall; Maddison; Daka, Iheanacho.
The first half proved to be a pretty boring affair with both sides creating few chances, the best falling to Trent Alexander-Arnold when he blasted a free-kick just wide of the post.
The Reds came out in the second half a much-improved side though, and they found the lead after 60 minutes through Diogo Jota.
A corner into the box was headed clear by Leicester and it fell to Jota on the edge of the box, and after advancing with the ball and opening up a pocket of space, the Portuguese international hit a fierce effort into the top right corner.
Diaz had looked sharp in the second half, and he grabbed the assist for Liverpool's second as Salah tapped home from close range.
Andrew Robertson picked up possession on the left and exchanged passes with the Colombian before losing possession just outside the box. Diaz was first to react though as he regained the ball and found Salah unmarked in the box, leaving the Egyptian the simple job of sweeping the ball into an empty net.
That proved to be Salah's last involvement of the game, and it was his replacement, Roberto Firmino, who set up Diaz for his first Liverpool goal.
Firmino flicked a short corner to Diaz just outside the box, and the 25-year-old evaded multiple challenges with a great solo run before curling the ball around Kasper Schmeichel and into the bottom corner for Liverpool's third.
A mistake from Alisson gifted Leicester a goal in the 90th minute when the 'keeper charged out of goal and lost a 50/50 with Patson Daka, with the ball falling to James Maddison on the edge of the box who fired into an empty net.
The game ended 3-1, and it was newbie Diaz who grabbed the Player of the Match award, with the winger receiving a 9.2 out of 10 rating.
Diaz's one goal and one assist saw him win the Player of the Match, whilst he also managed an 82% dribble success rate, a 60% shot accuracy and won possession four times.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Liverpool 3-1 Leicester City
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that Luis Diaz could prove influential on his Premier League debut for Liverpool, with the simulation predicting the Colombian could grab a goal and assist to help the Reds beat Leicester City 3-1 at Anfield.
What do you think the final score will be between Liverpool and Leicester City? Let us know in the comments!
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.
